AWI Newsroom
For media information regarding the Animal Welfare Institute or interview opportunities with one of our experts, please contact:
Kim Meneo, Animal Welfare Institute
kim@awionline.org, (202) 446-2116
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Colorado Bill Would Phase Out Heatstroke as a Poultry Depopulation Method
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes yesterday’s introduction of the Modernizing Depopulation Act in the Colorado General Assembly. The bill would establish Colorado as the first state to phase out...
Illinois Bill Introduced to Protect Public Health from Disease Risks on Fur Farms
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) lauds today’s filing of the Finding Urgent Relief from Vectors for Infection Risk and Unchecked Spillover (FUR VIRUS) Act in Illinois, which would implement crucial...
Mink Legislation Reintroduced to Protect Public Health and Compensate Farmers
US Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has reintroduced the Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (Mink VIRUS Act), bipartisan legislation endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)....
Illinois Bill Requiring Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms Passes House Committee
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates today’s passage of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (H.B. 2627) in the Public Health Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. The bill...
USDA’s Bird Flu Strategy Inadequate to Control Disease and Prevent Inhumane Treatment
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) appreciates that the US Department of Agriculture has developed a revised strategy to address the staggering impacts of the current bird flu outbreak, yet the...
More than 860 Veterinarians, Students Call on AVMA to Discourage Cruel Killing Methods
Hundreds of veterinarians and veterinary students from across the country are urging the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to revise its guidelines regarding methods of killing farmed animals during emergencies....
Illinois Bill Would Require Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms to Safeguard Human Health
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends today’s filing of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act in Illinois, which would protect public health and human safety by requiring disease prevention and...
More Than 1.5 Million Farmed Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2024
More than 1.5 million farmed animals perished in barn fires in 2024, accounting for 60% of the deaths reported in the last three years, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)...
Pork Industry’s Challenge to Sprinkler Requirement Fails
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council has rejected an appeal filed by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and other national animal...
Congress Urged Not to Use Taxpayer Money to Prop Up Dangerous Mink Farms
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), joined by 46 public health scientists, veterinarians, animal welfare and conservation organizations, and other experts in their respective fields, delivered a letter to leaders of the Agriculture...
New Research: Weak Enforcement of State Farmed Animal Welfare Laws Continues
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) released a new report today that documents how state-level farmed animal welfare laws continue to be minimally enforced, even though such laws could substantially improve the lives...
Illinois Bill Would End Mink Farming to Safeguard Human Health
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends today’s filing of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act, which would end mink farming in Illinois to protect human health. Sponsored by State Senate...
Gov. Kotek Called on to Address Growing Disease Risks on Mink Farms
Wildlife-advocacy and animal-protection groups sent an urgent letter today calling on Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and state officials to address mink fur farms’ escalating threats to public health and wildlife. The groups are...
Nearly Half a Million Animals Killed in Barn Fires in 2023
More than 468,000 farmed animals have been killed in barn fires so far this year, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports released today. The release comes just...
As Bird Flu Infections Persist, Producers Must Develop Emergency Plans to Minimize Animal Suffering
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to change its animal disease regulations to require that producers have in place audited emergency response plans, including strategies to...
Legislation Introduced to Phase Out Dangerous Mink Farms, Reimburse Farmers
US Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has introduced legislation to phase out US mink farms within one year and establish a grant program to reimburse farmers for the full value of...