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Action Alerts & Updates

Isn't It Time for California Dairy Farmers to Stop Cutting Cows' Tails Off?
(Update: July 2, 2009)
Tail docking is a routin1`e practice on many large dairy farms where producers amputate most of a cow’s tail, usually by placing a tight rubber ring around it. A bill has been introduced to ban this cruel and unnecessary practice in California, and the state Senate has already passed it. But the industry is lobbying hard to defeat the bill in the Assembly! California cows need you to push back today and tell your assemblymember to support this modest but important reform.

Michigan: Hurry – Help Keep the Fox Out of the Henhouse
(Update: June 30, 2009)
Big Agribusiness has lobbied to have legislation introduced Michigan that would create a council dominated by meat, egg and dairy industry interests and give that council sole authority to regulate the health and welfare of farm animals.  This legislation (HB 5127 and HB 5128/ SB 654 and SB 655) is industry’s attempt to be the only voice in deciding how farm animals are treated and to evade broadly-supported efforts to outlaw the cruelest factory farming practices, including confining animals in crates so small they can’t even turn around or fully extend  their limbs. It is crucial that we squelch this attempt before it’s too late. So please, act now and send a quick and easy e-mail to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee members who will be reviewing these bills very soon.

Don't All Egg-Laying Hens Deserve to Stretch Their Wings?
(June 26, 2009)
Last fall, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2. This law prohibits keeping egg-laying hens in cruel and intensive confinement in California. However, eggs laid by hens in other states who are kept in the very same conditions that voters so resoundingly rejected could still be sold in California. The California Assembly recently passed a bill that would end this practice, but the bill won’t become law unless the Senate passes it too. On July 8, the bill faces an important hearing before the Senate Health Committee, and without your support it could be voted down at that time. Please act now to urge the committee members to pass AB 1437, a bill that would ensure that no eggs from hens confined in battery cages are sold in California

Don’t Schoolchildren Deserve the Option to Have Healthy Alternatives to Cow’s Milk?
(Updated June 15, 2009)
Now more than ever, we need to make sure that free and low-cost meals provided to schoolchildren offer readily-available alternatives to cow’s milk, such as soy or rice milk. The reauthorization of the federal Child Nutrition Act gives us that opportunity. Learn how you can help.

Pennsylvania: Support Bill to Stop Cruel Pigeon Shoots
(June 2009)
It's hard to believe, but some people in Pennsylvania find it acceptable to use live animals as target practice. In parts of Pennsylvania, birds are used as target practice and cruel trap shoots. Help enact a ban on live pigeon shoots by contacting your legislator today.

Sign the Petition: That's NOT Natural
(June 4, 2009)
The USDA recently allowed companies to slap a "naturally raised" label on meat and meat products that come from animals whose upbringing was far from natural. Let the USDA know you won't stand for such deceptive claims. Sign the petition to tell the agency its "naturally raised" label is not natural!

Help Farm Sanctuary Save Sheep from Cruel and Unnecessary Training Exercises
(May 21, 2009)
This week Massachusetts General Hospital killed live sheep in a trauma training course, despite the fact that more than 90 percent of such courses in the nation rely exclusively on human-based simulators rather than live animals.  Please help Farm Sanctuary put an end to this cruel and unnecessary practice. Send a quick and easy letter to the Hospital’s course director urging her to commit to using only non-animal methods in future trauma training courses. 

Massachusetts: It's time to give farm animals room to move!
(May 12, 2009)
In modern animal agriculture, most egg laying hens are stuffed in cages that are so small they have less space than a sheet of notebook paper to stand on. Meanwhile, most breeding sows and veal calves spend nearly their entire lives in crates barely larger than their own bodies. The suffering of these animals is hard to imagine, but with your help, we could bring it to an end. Let your state legislators know that you support House Bill 815, an act to ban these horrible practices.

New York: It's time to give farm animals room to stretch their limbs
(May 7, 2009)
In modern animal agriculture, most egg laying hens are stuffed in cages so small they have less space than a sheet of notebook paper to stand on. Meanwhile, most breeding sows and veal calves spend nearly their entire lives in crates barely larger than their own bodies. Their suffering is hard to imagine, but with your help, we can bring it to an end. Let your state legislators know that you support A08163, an act to ban these horrible practices.

Prescription for Disaster: Sub-therapeutic Antibiotic Use on Farm Animals
As factory farms have crammed more and more animals into tighter and tighter spaces, modern pharmaceuticals have become regular tools of the trade. But this mad science has hatched unintended consequences: more germs that are resistant to antibiotics. Now legislation has been introduced in Congress to stop this reckless behavior. Take action!

National Defense: an exercise in cruelty?
(March 26, 2009)
The military is conducting a self-review of combat trauma training — which includes stabbing shooting, and breaking the legs of pigs and goats. Tell your Congressperson to urge the Department of Defense to end this exercise in cruelty. Take Action.

A Ban on Downed Cattle – are Pigs Next?
The USDA closed a loophole and banned downed cattle from being slaughtered and entering the human food supply. While this step is a milestone in efforts to protect those animals too sick and injured to walk, or even stand, protections need to be expanded to all species. Help continue this momentum.

This Bill Really Stinks!
Emissions from factory farms could be exempt from the Clean Air Act under a new bill introduced in Congress. Greenhouse gasses generated from animal agriculture are a top cause of climate change and Big Agribusiness doesn’t want to take responsibility for their part in global warming. Let your legislators know that this bill stinks!

Is that a clone in the food supply?
With a green-light from the FDA, meat from cloned animals may be on its way to market. But without labels, shoppers won’t be able to recognize and take a stand against these products. In reaction to these developments, numerous states have introduced bills during the 2009 session to mandate labeling of cloned animal products. These initiatives are critical for protecting animals and the right of consumers to say NO to these products of cruelty. Take action.

Illinois: It’s time to give farm animals room to stretch their limbs!
Illinois may be the next California when it comes to ending the cruel confinement of farm animals. The Illinois State Legislature is currently reviewing a bill, SB 1337, which would require that three species of farm animals in Illinois be given enough room to stretch their limbs, lie down comfortably and turn around for the majority of each day. The recent passage of California’s Proposition 2 has proven that we can reform the factory farming system — but only when we make our voices heard! Here’s how you can voice your support for this modest, yet extremely important measure.

Isn’t it time for Illinois dairy farmers to stop cutting cows’ tails off?
Tail docking is a routine practice on many large dairy farms where producers amputate most of a cow’s tail, usually by placing a tight rubber ring around it. A bill has been introduced to ban this cruel and unnecessary practice in Illinois, but the dairy industry is pressuring your state senators to oppose the measure. Illinois cows need you to push back today and tell your elected representatives to support this modest but important reform.

Meat Industry Attacks California's Downed Animal Protection Law
A year after video of downed dairy cows at a California slaughterhouse shocked the public, the meat industry is trying to overturn the law that strengthened downed animal protections as a result. Learn what Farm Sanctuary and others are doing to protect the law and what you can do to help downed animals everywhere.

Ask McDonald’s to take a Stand Against Cloning Cruelty
(November 2008)
Fast food giant McDonald’s has stated that it wants to take the lead in advancing animal welfare practices—but has not as of yet taken a stand against cloning. In addition to the potential risks to human health posed by products from animal clones, there are serious animal welfare concerns. A shockingly high percentage of cloned animals suffer from heart, kidney, and liver disorders, as well as other deformities and even early death. Please ask McDonald’s to sign a public pledge to not sell products from cloned animals.

Historic Victory for Farm Animals! Prop 2 Passes in California
(November 5, 2008)
In the most monumental political victory for farm animals in U.S. history, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 2, which bans three cruel confinement systems – battery cages, veal crates and gestation crates in the state. By a By a vote of more than 60 percent Californians sent a message to big agribusiness loud and clear: animal cruelty is unacceptable, and profits do not precede compassion.

A Continuing Battle to Stop the Slaughter of American Horses
If passed, the federal bill H. R. 503 will effectively stop the slaughter of all American horses by banning their shipment to foreign slaughterhouses. Get the details.