After 20 years of lax regulation, the U.S. government may finally be cracking down on water pollution from slaughterhouses. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is strengthening its water pollution standards at slaughterhouses for the first time since 2004.  The change comes after environmental groups claimed in a lawsuit…

The egg industry doesn’t want you to know its dark secret: that it is responsible for suffocating or grinding up thousands of fully conscious baby animals every day simply because they’re not profitable. The mass killing of freshly hatched chicks—also known as “chick culling”—has nothing to do with recent outbreaks of bird flu or increasing…

Scientists in China have created three “super cows” by cloning cows who produce unusually large amounts of milk.  To create their “super cows,” scientists cloned embryos from ear cells of “extra productive” Holstein Friesian cows and implanted them in surrogate cows. The “productive” cows selected for cloning produce a mind-boggling…

A massive pig farm containing more than 10,000 pigs recently burned to the ground, killing every single animal trapped inside.  The facility, owned by Canadian meatpacking company Olymel, was a “finishing barn” where pigs of different ages were “fattened up” for slaughter. Vice president of production Casey Smit said piglets and adult pigs…

On March 2, around 140 Mercy For Animals’ global staff members and Mexico-based volunteers gathered at Mexico City’s Monumento a la Revolución in defense of animals. Staff led the performance, while Mexican volunteers led the outreach, handing out information and engaging with passersby. This eye-catching demonstration was the largest in Mercy…

One year ago, on March 2, 2022, history was made for animals. The United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on the nexus between animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable development. The resolution calls for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to produce a report on the relationship between animal welfare…

While many of us have seen transport trucks on the road, few are aware of the extreme suffering inside.  As young as six weeks old, chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals are crammed into trucks and sent to slaughter. Conditions are so abysmal that, according to an analysis, over 20 million animals die each year on their journeys to slaughter. This…

Earlier this month, Mercy For Animals in Brazil released a new investigation exposing the heartbreaking conditions endured by chickens raised for meat. French television series Capital, Yahoo France, and several other European media outlets shared the never-before-seen footage with their audiences.  The investigation took place at three Brazilian farms…

The world is going through one of the largest bird-flu outbreaks of all time. It has led to the killing of millions of chickens around the globe and devastated wild bird populations. Now the deadly disease is appearing in mammals.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, infections of avian flu have been recorded in a diverse array of mammals…

Leading airline caterer LSG Group just joined the growing list of companies that have pledged to ban cages in their global operations!  LSG Group serves more than 130 million meals a year at more than 150 locations worldwide, so the company’s pledge will not only positively impact hens at egg farms but advance animal welfare across Africa, Asia…

Black vegan chefs are revolutionizing the plant-based food industry—and it’s delicious. While vegan food has long existed around the world, in the United States it has often been associated with wealth and whiteness. But the truth is Black Americans are the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the country! Research shows 8 percent of Black Americans…

The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act (IAA), a groundbreaking piece of federal legislation aimed at reforming our nation’s food system, has been introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is historic news for farmed animals and is the result of months of tireless work by Mercy For Animals, the ASPCA, and the rest…

Oxford Languages defines “slacktivism” as “​​the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterized as involving very little effort or commitment.” And we’ve got great news: Studies have shown that slacktivism actually works!  Tackling the vast issues involved in factory…

Millions of chickens were recently at risk of starvation because of train delays. According to Foster Farms, the delays had been happening since February and feed shortages reached critical levels.  Union Pacific, the only railroad company in North America with direct access to Foster Farms, blamed midwestern snowstorms, California floods, and Nevada…

You’ve likely noticed that unusually high egg prices have been making headlines lately. The main reason for these soaring costs is the current avian flu outbreak, which, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is the worst on record, contributing to the deaths of 50.54 million birds so far. In efforts to stop the spread of avian…

Animal activists have just released the first hidden-camera footage taken inside a U.S. carbon dioxide “stunning chamber.” While these gas chambers are intended to painlessly render animals unconscious, the video shows pigs screaming and thrashing in agony as they die by asphyxiation.  In October of last year, Raven Deerbrook of Direct Action Everywhere…

The U.S. government has officially banned the deadliest driftnets!  In December of last year, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Included in the legislation is a ban on the cruelest driftnets! Initially introduced by Senator Feinstein and Representative Lieu, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act requires a five-year…

Kroger, the United States’ largest grocer, is backtracking on its promise to go cage-free.  In March 2016, Kroger announced it would transition to a 100 percent cage-free egg supply chain by 2025. This was a huge step in the right direction and would help alleviate some of the worst suffering for countless birds.  Unfortunately, the company is now…

Twitter users reacted in disgust and horror after an account called Weird and Terrifying posted a video of raw meat spasming. The footage shows a butcher holding a chunk of red meat that appears to be bubbling from within. The caption says, “Adding salt to freshly cut muscle causes it to spasm.” According to Scientific American, this phenomenon…

After dialogue with Mercy For Animals, Associated British Foods—a major multinational food company operating in 52 countries—has committed to going completely cage-free! This is a huge step in the right direction and will help alleviate suffering for countless birds worldwide.  While Associated British Foods already had a cage-free commitment in…

An escaped cow lovingly nicknamed Mootilda has been captured and killed after spending months on the run. She reportedly escaped during a traffic accident last summer, surviving in the woods of Upper Township, New Jersey, partly thanks to the efforts of a kind local. Despite knowing “almost nothing” about farmed animals, Anne Merrill was determined…