The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) (collectively, the Agency) on Aug. 7, 2024, issued a proposed rule aimed at reducing Salmonella contamination in raw poultry products...more
In City of New York v Ball, 2024 NY Slip Op 24179 [Sup Ct, Albany County 2024], the Albany County Supreme Court upheld a determination of the Commissioner (“Commissioner”) of the Department of Agriculture and Markets...more
Several states have made attempts to provide the animal production industry protection against unlawful interference by enacting so-called Ag-Gag laws. A wave of litigation is challenging these laws as unconstitutional,...more
On Jan. 1, 2024, California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12) went into full effect, requiring certain farm owners, operators and distributors of covered farm animals such as egg-laying hens, commercial breeding pigs and veal calves...more
The winding path of Ag Gag legislation in Iowa has become significantly straighter in 2024. First, in January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed lower court rulings that blocked Iowa state laws seeking...more
Would FDA testing of feedlots for bacteria promote safer vegetables? Would it decrease the availability of and increase price of meat? You might ask, what do feedlots have to do with vegetables? Concentrated Animal Feeding...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published a letter in response to a petition filed by several environmental groups requesting that EPA revise Clean Water Act (CWA) regulations for concentrated animal...more
On June 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) announced that it was implementing a multi-step effort to strengthen the substantiation of animal-raising claims. Animal-raising claims are voluntary marketing...more
The South Carolina Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that state regulator’s issuance of “no-discharge” permits for agricultural animal facilities under agriculture-specific regulations could not substitute for a “no...more
California’s updated proposed Proposition 12 regulations would make incremental changes. Comments are due December 17. The California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) has issued updated proposed regulations (“the Updated...more
Most of you should already be aware of concerns about the spread of foreign animal disease, African Swine Fever (ASF), into the United States. for those who need an update: ASF has never been identified in the US, but...more
On April 8, 2021, we blogged about the 10th Circuit oral argument in Animal Legal Defense Fund v, Kelly, the first amendment challenge to Kansas’ so-called “ag-gag” law. Animal rights groups often use deceptive tactics to...more
I previously wrote an ACOEL blog post that pointed out the relationship between meat agriculture and global warming. I will start with the personal fact that my wife, the poet Margo Taft Stever, and I became vegetarians many...more
What’s next for processors, producers, ranchers, and other stakeholders in the livestock industry? Our Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Team provides insights into the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture...more
The Fourth edition of the “Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching,” published by the American Dairy Science Association®, American society of Animal Science and Poultry Science...more
As previously discussed in “Colorado Poised to Eliminate Animal Agriculture” this proposed referendum, while clearly intended to eliminate all animal agriculture and related industries in Colorado, is fraught with...more
A referendum that would eliminate animal agriculture in Colorado has passed the initial challenges and has been approved for the collection of citizen signatures. Colorado State Ballot Initiative titled “Protect Animals from...more
Indiana, like every other State, has adopted a Right to Farm Act to “reduce the loss to the state of its agricultural resources by limiting the circumstances under which agricultural operations may be deemed to be a...more
USDA published proposed Rule 85 FR 18471 on April 2, 2020 that would, "amend the animal disease regulations to provide for a National List of Reportable Animal Diseases, along with reporting responsibilities for animal...more
Much of a 2015 North Carolina law that was meant to stop activists from posing as farm workers in order to gain access to footage and information about conditions on farms has been deemed unconstitutional on Friday, June 12,...more
On April 24, 2019, we blogged about Iowa’s latest so-called “ag-gag” law, which is designed to prevent undercover investigations of farms. The statute makes it a criminal offense to use deception to gain access to a farm with...more