Here at Farm Sanctuary, we are working across movements to fight the worst harms of animal agriculture and to “build the good” – just and sustainable food systems that support animals, people, and the planet.

It may have been a short month, but we continue to make critical progress for farmed animals, people, and the planet! From courthouses, to state houses, to Capitol Hill, we have achieved important victories and strengthened relationships across farmer, worker, environment, health, community, justice, and animal-centered movements. Together, we’re building food systems that work for all of us.

Here’s a snapshot of some of our latest progress!

On February 23, 2023, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled North Carolina’s Property Protection Act, often referred to as its “Ag-Gag” law, as unconstitutional. The court, in its decision, also noted that the First Amendment protects undercover investigations and whistleblowing, an important victory for animal advocates. We joined seven other organizations in the suit, including the Government Accountability Project, Food and Water Watch, and five animal-centered organizations. Together, we demonstrated that Ag-Gag laws clearly violate citizens’ First Amendment rights.

As Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary said, “Factory farms have a lot to hide, and they’ve actively worked to silence critics with unconstitutional ag-gag laws like in North Carolina. Just, sustainable, and compassionate food systems require transparency and accountability. We are grateful for the ruling, and we look forward to ending Big Ag’s big coverup nationwide.”

Read more: Victory for Farmed Animals and Animal Advocates

Senator Booker re-introduced four bills this February, each of which Farm Sanctuary strongly supported in our recent Capitol Hill roundtable. Together, the Farm System Reform Act, Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act, Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, and Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act support farmers, workers, families, and communities by fighting some of Big Ag’s worst harms.

In the Senator’s words, “I’m excited to re-introduce a package of bills that would help mold our food system into one that is more competitive, resilient, humane, and just for everyone.” We applaud Senator Booker, and we are thrilled to support legislation that recognizes farmed animals as stakeholders in our cruel, unsustainable, and unjust food systems.

Ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to support the Farm System Reform Act and help U.S. farmers take on Big Ag!

Farm Sanctuary responded to the USDA’s requested feedback on the WIC program by sharing how the agency’s proposed rule changes could better support animal welfare, social justice, public health, and our shared environment. Unfortunately, USDA programs, including aspects of WIC, prioritize Big Ag profits over shared priorities. In our comments, we quoted a former WIC dietician, who shared the following reflection:

“Working for a local WIC agency, [we] provided critical nutrition assistance. However, I found myself having the same conversations. They’d say, ‘My kids love fruits – could we get more fruit?’ and I’d reply, ‘No, but I can give you four gallons of milk. Would that work for you?’…Federal allocations uphold the status quo, not nutrition.”

Over the last two years, Farm Sanctuary has reached out to more than 2,500 farmer, worker, environment, health, community, justice, and animal-centered organizations across the country. This has resulted in important progress in building a “big tent” for farmed animals, people, and the planet, including:

• In 2021, our comment on the food system supply chain with the Center for Biological Diversity attracted 90+ co-signing organizations representing more than 20 million members, including thousands of farmers, 17K+ physicians, and 375K+ food chain workers.
• In 2022 and 2023, our “Congressional Food System Staffer Appreciation Day” and Capitol Hill roundtable discussions brought together more than 100 staffers, as well as national and community-based advocacy organizations fighting for food systems that work better for us all: animals, people, and the planet.

This month, we concluded this two-year phase of outreach, which will result in a series of federal food system roadmaps. Each of these roadmaps will help advocates, journalists, policymakers, academics, and concerned citizens around the country work together to shift resources in support of food systems that work for farmed animals, human beings, and our shared environment.

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