Program Term Archive
Farmed Animals
USDA Acquiescence in Cruel Killing Method
Farmed AnimalsThirty members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter to the US Department of Agriculture in February with pointed questions about the department’s effort to counter the widespread use of ventilation...
Illinois Bill Would End Mink Farming to Safeguard Human Health
Press ReleaseFebruary 6, 2024Farmed AnimalsThe 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
Press ReleaseFebruary 1, 2024Farmed AnimalsWildlife-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
Press ReleaseDecember 18, 2023Farmed AnimalsMore 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...
Better Choices for Egg Buyers
Farmed AnimalsEggs are a staple of the Western diet. In the United States, 94 percent of Americans report consuming them, and annual egg consumption averages around 280 per person. In 2022,...
Public Supports Egg-Check Tech to Prevent Chick Culling
Farmed AnimalsA recent, first-of-its-kind survey of more than 1,000 US egg consumers showed a high level of interest in a new technology called “in-ovo sexing” that can determine the sex of...
Study Highlights Lack of Protections for Farmed Fish
Farmed Animals, Marine WildlifeA recent study published in Cambridge University’s Animal Welfarejournal (Mood et al., 2023) estimates the number of farmed fishes slaughtered for food in global aquaculture from 1990 to 2019. The study...
Supreme Court Declines to Review North Carolina Ag-Gag Law
Farmed AnimalsIn October, the US Supreme Court denied a petition to review the Fourth Circuit ruling that struck down portions of the Property Protection Act—North Carolina’s latest ag-gag law—on the grounds...
USDA Establishes Animal Welfare Standards for Organic Program
Farmed AnimalsIn November, the US Department of Agriculture published a final rule establishing animal welfare standards for the millions of animals raised on organic farms. The Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards...
USDA Launches Antibiotic Sampling Program
Farmed AnimalsThe USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced in September that it had launched a new exploratory sampling program to assess the accuracy of “no antibiotic” marketing claims for beef...