This year was a banner year for farm animals. In our 20th anniversary year, we built upon two decades of progress and advanced critical campaigns and programs to end farm animal abuse.

Today, change comes in the form of laws and litigation for farm animals, rescues that alleviate untold suffering, and coverage in the major media that reaches into the mainstream and touches Americans with stories exposing cruelty and demonstrating compassion.

We are fighting factory farming abuse head-on … and we are winning. Few laws exist in the U.S. to protect farm animals, and the agribusiness lobby is extremely powerful, making legal change difficult. But, this year, we have seen unprecedented progress in a very short time. Not one, but two laws have passed!

In Chicago, the sale of “foie gras” (translated in French as fatty liver) made through the cruel process of force-feeding ducks and geese was BANNED. And, in Arizona, citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 204, banning gestation crates for pregnant pigs and veal crates for calves!

Our shelters saved hundreds of suffering farm animals in 2006, from Linda, a crippled cow injured during birth at a dairy farm, to the piglets rescued from practice surgeries at a university, over 100 chickens found sick and dying in an abandoned garage in Brooklyn, and so many more. In addition to these new faces on the farm, we continued providing ongoing care for over 1,500 farm animals here at our sanctuaries, including hundreds of brave survivors from Hurricane Katrina. Each of these animals is a beloved individual, who suffered the horror of mutilation, abuse and neglect ... and only survived to have her story told today because of the commitment of Farm Sanctuary members.

We gave a voice to the millions of turkeys who suffer on factory farms each year with educational stories about turkey production, our Adopt-A-Turkey project, and compassionate holiday alternatives running on NPR, Fox News and the Food Network. The foie gras effort was covered by media outlets from USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, the Associated Press, and hundreds more. And, through our outreach programs, we sent a message of compassion across the U.S. as we hosted a Farm Animal Forum in San Francisco, our 20th Anniversary Gala in New York, shelter events throughout the year, and 44 Walk for Farm Animals events.

All that we have accomplished for farm animals this year is thanks to you. These victories are yours and the animals’. But, our work is far from completed. As we look forward to 2007, we must build on this momentum, and fight harder than ever. Farm animals are counting on us, and we are counting on you.

Please, make a year-end, tax-deductible gift to Farm Sanctuary to make our work possible.

We are grateful to know and work with such compassionate and committed individuals as you, and to count you as part of the Farm Sanctuary family.

Warm wishes from all of us at Farm Sanctuary for a peaceful and happy holiday,

Gene Baur (formerly Bauston)
President