Your Summary of Our Latest Animal News and Information

The debate is settled — dispersed lead ammunition is a menace to wildlife and people

In one of his latest blogs, Wayne Pacelle dismantles the longstanding acceptance of lead ammunition in sport hunting, arguing that the toxic element poisons wildlife by the millions (more than 120 species) and threatens hunting families and food bank participants because the lead speckles the game meat and cannot be extracted. Lead bullets keep killing long after they’ve left the barrel, acutely threatening raptors (owls, hawks, and eagles) and scavenging animals (foxes, vultures, coyotes). He also notes successful policy shifts — from lead-shot bans for waterfowl hunting nationwide in 1991 to California’s statewide ban on lead ammunition — as models for a smooth transition to non-toxic shot, such as steel, copper, tungsten, and bismuth. He closes with a call to action to pass the LEAD Act in Congress and notes that Animal Wellness Action is initiating legislative efforts and rulemaking petitions to ban lead ammunition, to start, in seven states. Read more here.

Key U.S. House lawmakers trying to unwind farm animal laws

Industrial pork producers are renewing their efforts to roll back hard-won state animal-welfare standards, despite growing recognition that confining breeding sows in narrow metal stalls is cruel and outdated. In this blog, we report on implementation of an Ohio rule to restrict the use of gestation crates — evidence that even major livestock states are rejecting extreme confinement and aligning with the market and legal momentum behind California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3. Author Wayne Pacelle calls out the National Pork Producers Council’s attempts to preempt state laws, noting that major food retailers across the nation have previously announced positions in opposition to gestation crates. He concludes by urging readers to examine the findings of a new, science-based report produced by our veterinarians, Jim Keen, DVM, Ph.D., and Tom Pool, DVM, MPH, and Svetlana Feigin, Ph.D., director of academic research for the Center for a Humane Economy. It exposes the measure’s serious flaws and harms. They note that the repeal of Prop 12 will allow China’s U.S. proxy, Smithfield Foods, to try to establish high-rise hog factory farms that have become the favored production system in that nation, which has very few legal protections for animals. Read more here.

THE CENTER IN THE NEWS

• Steve Dale’s Pet World on WGN Radio 720 interviewed Wayne Pacelle, president of Center for a Humane Economy, about where things stand with the fur industry and mink farms. Pacelle also discussed his role in helping to change sentiment about animal testing. Listen to the interview here.
• A-Z Animals reports the United States is taking some preliminary steps to wind down animal testing by promoting human-relevant alternatives like AI, organoids, and other non-animal methods in drug development and safety research, a shift led by AWA and the Center for a Humane Economy after they worked to pass the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 in 2022. Dr. Zaher Nahle, senior scientific advisor to the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, explains that entrenched regulatory practices historically prioritized animal models, but recent policy changes and advocacy from groups like the Center are helping drive the transition toward more humane and predictive science. Read the story here.
• Ohio has become the 11th state to limit the use of gestation crates for breeding sows, culminating a 15-year effort by animal advocates to end extreme confinement in pork production. The move, covered by Axios Columbus, recognizes the momentum behind humane housing standards and the leadership of animal protection organizations — including the Center for a Humane Economy, whose president helped negotiate the original agreement that set this phase-out in motion alongside farm groups and industry leaders. The Center and its partners see this policy change as a major milestone for farm animal welfare and a model for other states. Read the story here.

Humane wildlife policies must include provisions to stop scattering toxic lead ammunition across a billion acres of the American landscape. The Center is urging Congress to pass a simple, commonsense bill called the LEAD Act that would ban lead ammunition on national wildlife refuges, lands set aside specifically to protect animals. Tell Congress to act and end this unnecessary poisoning. Click here to make your voice heard.

Greyhound racing remains a cruel, outdated spectator sport in the United States, where dogs are kept confined for up to 23 hours a day and suffer injuries or death on tracks that are legal in only a handful of states. With GREY2K USA, The Center is urging Congress to end this exploitation once and for all by passing the Greyhound Protection Act, landmark federal legislation that would phase out commercial dog racing, ban remote wagering on races, and stop greyhounds from being transported for the purpose of the sport. Tell your senators and representative to support this bill and help end greyhound racing in America. Take action here.

MORE FROM THE CENTER

• The Animal Wellness Podcast. This episode explores the real implications of a question that was once just an interest of science-fiction dreamers: can we produce real meat without raising and killing animals? Host Joseph Grove is joined by Paul Shapiro, author of “Clean Meat” and founder of The Better Meat Co., and Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. The conversation explores how “clean” or “cultivated” meat is produced and how it is made from animal cells and is no different biologically than the mass of fat and muscle taken from animals for meat. The discussion also weighs what this emerging technology could mean for animal welfare, public health, climate change, and the future of food — cutting through hype to focus on ethics, innovation, and long-term solutions. Listen to the show here.
• See our two new science-based reports: Educate yourself about the details of our work and the science behind our policy positions. 1) “Lead Ammunition Imperils Wildlife, Hunting Families,” by Dr. Jim Keen, and 2) “Rebranded EATS Act Eliminates Nation’s Most Important Farm Animal Welfare Laws,” by Dr. Keen, Dr. Tom Pool, and Dr. Svetlana Feigin. The report on lead can be found here. Go here for the report on Prop 12.

Our work exposes cruelty through investigations and research and analysis, putting a public spotlight on animal exploitation, advancing policy solutions, and promoting enforcement of legal standards — is part of a strategic, coordinated effort to protect animals. Your donation fuels that work and helps turn advocacy, investigation, and education into real, lasting change for animals. Go here to support our campaigns.