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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Farm Bill Passes House in a Missed Opportunity to Help Animals
Today, the House of Representatives voted 224-200 to pass the Farm Bill—the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567). In addition to continuing to utilize taxpayer dollars...
House Ag Committee Advances Farm Bill: Companion Animals Fare Better than Horses and Farmed Animals
This week, following deliberations over the course of two days, the House Committee on Agriculture voted to advance its version of the Farm Bill—H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National...
Ejiao Act Reintroduced as Consumer Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Protecting Donkeys from Dangerous Gelatin Trade
Today, US Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) reintroduced the bipartisan Ejiao Act to ban the sale and trade of donkey-hide gelatin products in the United States; a recent survey shows that...
Wild Horse Coalition Files New Lawsuit to Stop BLM’s Unlawful Eradication of Iconic Wyoming Herds
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), along with renowned photographers and conservation advocates, today filed another lawsuit in federal court to stop the Bureau of Land Management...
On First Day Back in Session, Congress Urged to Protect Horses
As Congress returned today from its August recess, thousands of Americans across the country joined a National Day of Action to call on lawmakers to make horse protection a top...
Federal Appeals Court Reins in BLM Wild Horse Wyoming Eradication Plan
After 14 years of litigation, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), Western Watersheds Project, and their allies have secured a legal victory that delivers a major setback to the largest attempted...
House Appropriators Again Reject Wild Horse Slaughter in Funding Bill
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) commend the US House Committee on Appropriations for advancing bipartisan language in its fiscal year 2026 Interior, Environment,...
President’s Budget Could Usher in Mass Horse Slaughter, Lethal “Management”
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is deeply concerned that the administration's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget omits critical protections for wild horses and burros, which could allow them to be...
Congress Launches First-Ever Wild Horse Caucus to Protect America’s Iconic Mustangs and Burros
In a landmark move for America’s wild horses and burros, today US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Jaun Ciscomani (R-AZ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) launched the Congressional Wild...
CEQ Guts NEPA by Rescinding Regulations
Today the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) took the most drastic action since its creation in 1970 by rescinding 50 years’ worth of regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy...
To Celebrate National Horse Protection Day, Lawmakers Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to End Horse Slaughter
In honor of National Horse Protection Day on March 1, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers today reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to permanently protect American horses...
Facing Industry Pressure, USDA Delays Crucial Horse Protections
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is disappointed with the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement today that it will delay implementation of regulations to protect horses from egregiously inhumane soring until April 2, 2025. Soring...
AWI Urges Etsy to Stop Selling Horsemeat, Donkey-Hide Gelatin
Consumers shopping on Etsy for the holidays may be shocked to learn that the online marketplace sells products containing horsemeat and ejiao (gelatin made from boiling donkey hides). Etsy should...
Amazon Faces Pressure Over Sale of Products Made from Donkey-Hide Gelatin
Animal welfare advocates representing millions of people around the world gathered at Amazon HQ2 to hand-deliver over 370,000 petition signatures demanding that Amazon ban the sale of ejiao, a gelatin...
New York Urged to Protect Donkeys from Brutal Ejiao Trade
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and a dozen other animal protection groups and equine rescues urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to crack down on the sale of...
Wild Horse and Conservation Groups File Notice of Appeal to Challenge Court Decision Allowing Largest-Ever Eradication of Wild Horses
Today, a coalition of wild horse advocates, conservationists, and academics filed a notice of appeal with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a lower court decision greenlighting a Bureau...
House Appropriations Bill Sacrifices Imperiled Species in Favor of Politicking
The US House of Representatives is set to vote this week on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8998), a bill that severely slashes conservation funding for...
BLM Gallops Ahead With Wild Horse Eradication Plan Amid Ongoing Litigation
Last week, Eubanks & Associates, on behalf of petitioners the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), Western Watersheds Project (WWP), and others, notified the US District Court...
USDA Takes Long-Awaited Step to End Inhumane Horse Soring
Today, the US Department of Agriculture published a final rule to end the brutal practice of horse soring at Tennessee walking horse shows. The improved regulations, scheduled to take effect on February...
Ejiao Act Reintroduced to Protect Donkeys from Dangerous Gelatin Trade
US Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) reintroduced the Ejiao Act Tuesday in the House of Representatives to ban the sale and trade of ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin) products in the United States....