A new report published by AWI reveals that the USDA has continually failed to meaningfully enforce the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act—one of the only federal statutes in place to shield farmed animals from suffering and abuse. Records reveal that the USDA has declined to initiate criminal prosecutions for inhumane slaughter against any of the more than 800 licensed federal plants (including repeat offenders) since at least 2007. “By keeping slaughter operations hidden, the meat and poultry industries can shield consumers from the horrific conditions endured by billions of farmed animals each year. Our analysis shows a pattern of blatant disregard for animal well-being at slaughter and a lack of follow-through from the one federal department empowered to change it.” – Zack Strong, director and senior attorney for AWI’s Farmed Animal Program. Learn more: (fb)

TAKE ACTION: The EATS Act—a dangerous bill from last Congress that received significant bipartisan opposition—has been reintroduced this Congress under a deceptive new name: the Food Security and Farm Protection Act (S. 1326). This bill would prohibit states and local governments from enacting laws or regulations that protect animals from some of the cruelest confinement practices, including the use of battery cages, gestation crates, and veal crates. Please join AWI in fighting against S. 1326 by urging your senators to oppose it: (fb)