Factory Farms

News

Octopus Farming in the U.S. Doesn’t Exist, and a New Bill Wants to Keep It That Way

A bipartisan bill aims to stop commercial octopus farming before it starts.

Factory Farms•5 min read

News

New York Bill Aims to Ban New Mega-Dairies

Proponents for the bill hope to curb environmental pollution and bolster small dairy farms.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Explainer

The Best & Worst Countries for Animal Welfare Are Difficult to Measure

An imperfect but important ranking system, explained.

Factory Farms•7 min read

Solutions

The Case for Investing Billions in Lab-Grown Meat

A new report argues for a massive federal investment in food system innovation.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Reported

A Tyson Exec Wrote Kentucky’s Ag-Gag Law. What Could Go Wrong?

Lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto in order to ban drone investigations in the state.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Explainer

Ag-Gag Laws, and the Fight Over Them, Explained

What you need to know about how these laws seek to censure whistleblowers.

Factory Farms•11 min read

Explainer

5 Ways Taxpayers Bail Out Factory Farms

The way we produce meat and dairy is responsible for all sorts of damage, and taxpayers end up footing the bill.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Explainer

8 Important Laws for Animals to Watch Out for in 2024

The year ahead brings new legal challenges for animals and the advocates working to protect them.

Factory Farms•8 min read

Explainer

The Most Important Animal Policy Stories of 2023

The last year saw policy fights play out on both the state and national level.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Reported

Inside the Fight — and Failure — of North Carolina’s Ag-Gag Law

Courts continue to see factory farm investigations as protected free speech.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Reported

The Turkey Pardon’s History Reveals our Strange Relationship to Animals

The seemingly humane tradition, which can be traced back to meat lobbyists, correlates with a rise in turkey consumption.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Reported

211 Members of Congress Now Oppose the EATS Act

Three charts document the lawmakers taking a position on the controversial EATS Act, and the votes still up for grabs.

Factory Farms•2 min read

Reported

Two Bills Ignite Congressional Battle Over School Milk Choice

Young activists are fighting back against government policies to serve only cow’s milk in public schools when only a fraction of the population can digest it.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Explainer

The Dog Meat Trade Is Still Legal in Some Countries – Here’s What You Need To Know

Here’s what you need to know about the dog meat industry, and the western hypocrisies about eating animals it reveals.

Factory Farms•10 min read

Explainer

What Farm Subsidies Are and Why They Matter, Explained

Farm subsidies make meat and dairy much cheaper – but fruits and vegetables? Not so much. Here’s why.

Factory Farms•11 min read

Analysis

8 Key Laws Under Threat From the EATS Act

The new bill represents the single biggest challenge to animal welfare laws, but food safety and honey bee protections are also at risk.

Factory Farms•10 min read

Explainer

When Does Prop 12 Go Into Effect — and Will It Be Properly Enforced?

California’s Prop 12 faced industry opposition because it has huge implications for animal welfare. Now that it’s been upheld by the Supreme Court, here’s what’s next.

Factory Farms•11 min read

Explainer

The Animal Welfare Act Actually Doesn’t Protect Most Animals

Why are so many animals left out of the Animal Welfare Act? We explain the history of the law, and its shortcomings.

Factory Farms•9 min read

Explainer

What Is the Difference Between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare?

Animal welfare advocates and animal rights groups are sometimes at odds. In this explainer, we dig into where the two approaches diverge.

Culture•6 min read

Explainer

What Are Right to Farm Laws?

Right to farm laws are increasingly used to protect industrial meat operations from answering for their air and water pollution.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Explainer

The Farm Bill Is Crucial. Here’s Why.

The farm bill is a collection of laws that governs our food system, including subsidies and federal nutrition benefits known as SNAP.

Factory Farms•7 min read

Perspective

How Cattle Ranchers in the West Cut Off Indigenous Water Rights

Big Ag has demanded billions of federal dollars to reduce its water usage.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

Honorable Murray Sinclair On Indigenous Obligation to Beings of Creation

The Honorable Murray Sinclair worked to pass The Jane Goodall Act, which would turn Indigenous teachings on animals and wildlife into law.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

Can Precision Breeding Be Good for Animal Welfare? It’s Complicated.

Campaigners say the U.K.'s Genetic Technology Bill doesn't do enough to protect farm animals.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

California’s Proposition 12: Animal Protection Groups Fear Supreme Court Reversal

Earlier this week, animal protection groups filed briefs in support of Proposition 12, California's landmark animal protection law.

Factory Farms•8 min read

Conversations

Sentient Media Podcast: Progression Over Perfection with Monique Koch

In this episode, Monique Koch shares her story including her take on unlearning habits and beliefs and how the representation of vegans in the media has changed.

Factory Farms•51 min read

Reported

Iowa Residents Have Lost an Important Right to Sue Factory Farms

Iowa residents once had a right to sue polluting factory farm neighbors, Now the Iowa Supreme Court has taken that right away.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Perspective

Yes, Starbucks Should Drop Its Plant Milk Surcharge — and Do A Lot More

Starbucks could easily drop its plant milk surcharge. If it believes its own climate rhetoric, it can’t afford not to.

Factory Farms•8 min read

Perspective

Martin’s Act at 200 — Reflecting on the First Animal Welfare Law

The first animal welfare act in modern history had its flaws, but it also galvanized action.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Perspective

Animal Exploitation Industries Thwart Legal Progress — Here’s How

Happy the Elephant's case shows how animal exploitation industries obstruct legal progress.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Perspective

Bigger Protests, Higher Stakes: Peruvian Animal Rights Activist Speaks Out

“I found people with beautiful hearts who give everything for animal advocacy,” says Hillary Cabrera Gavilán, who first got involved when she was 19.

Factory Farms•9 min read

Conversations

Meet Scott Weathers: Plant-Based Politician and Public Health Advocate

Weathers is running for State Representative in the city of Stowe, Vermont, where he says "the status quo isn't working" anymore.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

Advocates Promise Solutions to Australia’s ‘Outdated’ Animal Laws

Newcomer to the animal protection scene Australian Alliance for Animals sets out to fix the country’s "broken" animal welfare regulatory systems.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

A New Bill Aims to Counteract a Decades-Long Trend: The Decline of the Black Farmer

“This bill could help usher in a new generation of African American farmers,” a Black producer said. “But, if it fails, it’s gonna continue to dwindle.”

Factory Farms•8 min read

Reported

After Three-Year Legal Battle, Justice Is Served at Pennsylvania Mega-Dairy

The Nestlé supplier faces criminal animal cruelty charges, financial penalties, and possible jail time for the farm’s owners following a 2018 investigation by Animal Outlook.

Factory Farms•3 min read

Perspective

What Would Happen if the U.S. Banned Factory Farming?

Meat, dairy, and eggs are woven into the fabric of American life and have been for as long as most will remember. But that, too, can change.

Factory Farms•8 min read

Reported

European Union to Ban the Routine Use of Antibiotics on Farmed Animals

An EU ban on the routine use of antibiotics that could change the face of intensive farming comes into force this month. Will producers comply?

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

Spanish Politician Sparks Fierce Debate Over Future of Factory Farming

Alberto Garzón recently called out his nation’s factory farming industry for being unsustainable. The criticisms were long overdue.

Factory Farms•3 min read

Reported

‘The Situation Is Dire’: California’s Tule Elk Face Biggest Threat Yet

Tensions continue to rise between ranchers and activists at Point Reyes National Seashore after 72 more elk died this summer.

Factory Farms•5 min read

Reported

In Europe, Authorities Struggle to Enforce Animal Protection Laws

A former UK police detective says abuse is tied to violent crimes like child abuse and sexual assault. Still, law enforcement agencies rarely prioritize animal protection.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Perspective

We Asked Gov. Newsom to Stop Expanding Factory Farms. He Didn’t Listen.

Activists arrived outside the home of California Governor Gavin Newsom with a simple ask: halt the expansion of factory farms. His response may surprise you.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Perspective

Animals Could Play a Pivotal Role in Climate Talks — If We Let Them

Climate change impacts every species on the planet. Why are humans the only ones drafting a response?

Climate•8 min read

Perspective

Farmed Animals Lack Legal Protections. What Needs to Change?

The legal system hasn't simply failed farmed animals—it has actively and methodically facilitated their exploitation. Here's what needs to change.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Reported

Advocates Fight Back Against Rise of Animal Cruelty on Facebook and YouTube

As Facebook falls under the national spotlight, Jennifer Mishler takes a closer look at the rise of animal cruelty on the platform and what advocates can do to stop it.

Factory Farms•8 min read

Explainer

Animals Have Some Legal Protections. Here’s Where They Fall Short.

Animal protection refers to the set of laws, belief systems, and activist networks dedicated to protecting animals from needless suffering.

Factory Farms•9 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Podcast: Cheryl Leahy Exposes the Truth About Pet Food, “Crush Videos,” and the Powerlessness of the Law

We sat down with Cheryl Leahy, Executive Director of Animal Outlook, to talk about the pet food industry, "crush videos," and a new investigation.

Factory Farms•76 min read

Perspective

Countries Take Steps to Ban Fur Farming After COVID-19 Outbreaks

Massive outbreaks of COVID-19 led to the permanent closure of fur farms in the Netherlands, Poland, and France, but the U.S. has yet to take action.

Factory Farms•4 min read

Investigation

New Slaughterhouse Investigation Reveals Critical Lapse in Federal Law

Fish are one of the few farmed animals not protected by the Humane Slaughter Act. Producers are aware of this loophole and regularly exploit it, investigators say.

Factory Farms•6 min read

Reported

Jo-Anne McArthur Speaks Out Against Canada’s New Ag-Gag Laws

Award-winning photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur discusses Canada's latest ag-gag law and how the industry's ongoing attack on journalists and activists is impacting her work.

Factory Farms•9 min read

Reported

Food Redlining: How Two Bay Area Communities Are Fighting Back Against a Legacy of Racist Policy

Supermarkets often will not open stores in low-income neighborhoods, further limiting access to nutritious foods for their residents. Two California communities are taking a stand.

Factory Farms•6 min read