Hi there,

You may have already seen the headlines. In a terrifying development in the ongoing avian influenza, the USDA is now requiring dairy farms to test samples of raw milk to track the spread of the virus.

The news chilled me to the bone. Even in my line of work, I sometimes forget that we really are dealing with a calculating, massive money machine. The CDC recently confirmed the first US case of bird flu in a child, with more than 50 confirmed human cases so far. Public health experts have been ringing alarm bells about avian flu, urging action to help prevent the next pandemic. Each new development brings us one step closer to that grim possibility.

The animal agriculture industry does not care. It has no interest in protecting the world from another devastating pandemic. To Big Ag, the long-term wellbeing of humans, animals, and our earth is meaningless. Only one number counts: Profits, quarter over quarter.

It’s that mindset that led farmers to start feeding poultry litter—a mix of feces, bedding, and feathers from the floors of chicken coops—to cows as a cheap “protein source.” (Yes. You read that correctly.)

To people like you and me, feeding feces to an animal is disgusting and inhumane. To factory farms, it’s cost-effective. Some experts are speculating that contaminated poultry feces may be a source of transmission. 

Avian flu has now been confirmed in 700 herds across 15 states. When I last wrote to you about this issue, that number was 80 herds.
 
I’m writing today to make one thing crystal clear. We will not stand by.

We will not stand by as corporations wreak havoc on human health. We will not stand by as living beings are treated like products. We will not stand by as long as our society gives big business free rein to do anything in the name of profit.

To start, please join us in calling for an end to ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+). This is the foremost “culling” method being used to stop viral spread, but it’s a blunt tool that inflicts senseless damage. VSD+ kills entire barns full of hens—by sealing off ventilation and heating them to death. Tens of millions of birds have already died this way. Please add your voice and demand an end to this heartbreaking practice.

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And I hope I can count on your continued support in 2025. Together, we are fighting our way closer to a world without factory farming. Because—while corporations might think our world is theirs for the taking—our world belongs to all of us. And that includes our animal cousins.

Thank you for fighting the good fight.

For the animals,

Vicky Bond
President

P.S. In 2025, we will continue our life-changing work to hold corporations accountable and end extreme confinement. If you’re able, consider supporting this mission with a gift.

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We exist to end the abuse of animals raised for food. But we can’t do it without you. The Humane League is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization ranked "Best In America" by the Independent Charities of America and ranked one of the world's most effective animal protection organizations by Animal Charity Evaluators. Our federal EIN is 04-3817491.

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