Read about animal cruelty news.
A federal judge struck down Iowa’s ag gag law last week. Those laws make it illegal for animal rights advocates to go undercover to expose animal abuse at farms and puppy mills. The 2012 law was approved by Iowa lawmakers, and carried a fine of up to year in jail. ACLU legal director Rita Bettis … Read more
The Humane Society of the United States has filed complaints with the FDA and FTA over Costco’s egg supplier Hillandale Nearby Eggs. The complaints call for asking the feds to investigate potential “violations of federal false advertising and health and safety laws.” The complaints allege that Hillandale farms “deceived consumers concerned about animal welfare and … Read more
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is exposing animal abuse at a “spent” egg-laying hen slaughter plant in Butterfield, Minnesota. The undercover investigation was conducted at Butterfield Foods. Video showed hens scalded alive, forced upside down into tanks of hot water, where they drown. Hens are not covered under the federal Humane Methods of … Read more
Four U.S. Senators have written a letter to the FDA to ask that agency to increase tracking of antibiotics used in food animals. They want the agency to propose a rule that improves collection of data on farm antibiotic use and its connection to bacterial resistance. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand … Read more
The Humane Society of the United States has launched a whistleblower program for factory farm workers. The hotline will let employees at those farms, in slaughterhouses, and at livestock auctions report cruelty and animal abuse. The hotline (1-888-209-7177) offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people … Read more
The Humane Society of the United States and Perdue Farms have reached a settlement of two federal cases over Perdue’s “humanely raised” claim on its Harvestland chicken labels. HSUS will dismiss their claims with prejudice, in exchange for Perdue removing the label claim. Peter Petersan, Director of Animal Protection Litigation for HSUS said in a … Read more
Mercy for Animals Canada has recorded inhumane treatment of pigs at a Canadian processing facility. Workers at Western Hog Exchange in Red Deer, Alberta were forcing animals to walk with electric prods and using bats to force pigs to move through crowded pens. That facility is federally monitored, and inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency … Read more
Dr. Daryl Jacobs, a USDA whistleblower from Idaho, has spoken out against that state’s ag gag law, which was signed by the governor last week. He has made a statement to Food Integrity Campaign about why undercover videos are needed to protect animals and to keep the food supply safe. He said, “as a former … Read more
This week, Idaho Governor C. L. Otter signed the latest ag-gag bill into law. The law was created, promoted, and passed in retaliation to undercover videos that exposed animal abuse at Idaho’s Bettencourt Dairy farm in 2012. That video showed workers caning, beating, and sexually abusing cows. Employees were fired and prosecuted as a result … Read more
The Humane Society has released a disturbing undercover report about conditions at the Iron Maiden Hog Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky. The investigation, which was conducted in early 2014, found that more than 900 piglets died from a diarrheal disease in a two-day period. The piglet’s intestines were ground up and fed back to their mothers … Read more