Animal News You Can Use: What a difference a decade makes

A decade ago, we announced a groundbreaking ballot campaign in California, later called Prop 2, to create the strongest farm animal protection law in the nation. In the wake of that precedent-setting victory, we enacted a wave of new corporate policies and public policies targeting the extreme confinement of farm animals. Since Prop 2’s passage, other states like Massachusetts have adopted even stronger laws, and many corporate policies are stronger too. For that reason, this week we announced a new California ballot campaign, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, to upgrade California’s farm animal protection laws and make them once again the strongest in the nation. If you’d like to sign up to volunteer, we welcome you in what’s sure to be a historic battle!

And just over a decade ago, the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to people and animals alike was hard to overstate. But the lessons learned from Katrina have led to new policies that put companion animals in a better position in the Harvey tragedy, writes the Washington Post. HSUS has been on the ground since before the storm hit and is rescuing animals daily, and you can read about our work in this USA Today story. To learn more about our life-saving efforts there led by HSUS’s Animal Rescue Team and state director Katie Jarl, and how you can help, please check out this page.

Finally, a decade ago there wasn’t a single company seeking to commercialize clean meat (real meat, without the animals). Today, you already know there are many companies doing just that. But did you know that nonprofits are playing a key role in aiding the clean meat industry? Conscious Company Magazine has the details in a great new feature, and here’s a new “fireside chat” (minus an actual fire…) on the topic in which I interview one of the leaders in that field.

Paul

Paul Shapiro
Vice President of Policy Engagement
The Humane Society of the United States
Follow at http://twitter.com/PaulHShapiro

P.S. Video of the week: Fighting like cats and dogs? I don’t think so.