Factory Farms Are Fine, Says Industry That Created Factory Farms | Rising Anxieties

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Staying one step ahead inside the evolving playbook of animal rights activists. This is from, uh, Pork Business, one of my favorite publications. Not really. And it's by Abby Kornegay from the Animal Agriculture Alliance. Now, we have to take everything with a little bit of a grain of salt because the Animal Agriculture Alliance is in the business of getting people in animal agriculture to pay them money to do loads of things, you know, pro- promote the industry in, in loads of different ways, but also to keep an eye on animal rights activists, so they like to play it up.

I would like to think that we're as scary as they sometimes say we are, and, you know, in a lot of ways I think they're right, but still, we have to take that into, into account in evaluating what they have to say. So, uh, this, the subtitle here is, "Understanding how activist groups are mapping corporate ecosystems and leveraging litigation gives producers the insights needed to defend their businesses," i.e.

pay the Ag- Animal Agriculture Alliance money to do this for you. She starts out by saying, "If you want to know where animal rights activism is headed next, one of the best pla-" I, I do, I really do, 'cause I have some questions about that. "One of the best places to look and listen isn't on social media or in the newspaper.

It's at conferences where activists are gathering to share ideas, debate strategies, and plan future campaigns." I used to go to conferences a lot and, you know, now that, uh, I'm old and tired, I, I, I, I don't, but I do really try to keep track of, of what people are talking about. I do. So thank you. Thank you, Pork Business.

This is helpful. All right, she's talking about two particular conferences, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit. You may have no- you may notice that these occurred quite a while ago. She's just catching up here. She didn't have something else to write about this week. So they offer a glimpse into how animal rights organizations are evolving their approach to challenging monage- modern animal agriculture.

I have to say, uh, oh, all right, you can, you can think about this as, as I go through this. I don't think there's that much new. I mean, I think people are getting better, but I, I, I... it seems to me this stuff... I mean, I've been doing this a long time, as I'm sure some of you have too, and some of you probably haven't, but take it f- take it from me, this is kind of the stuff that the animal, uh, protection movement has been doing for a long time.

She says, though, that these groups are putting more emphasis on coordinated legal actions, corporate pressure campaigns, strategic communications, and novel investigation tactics to influence businesses, policymakers, and public opinion. I hope she's right. Uh, one speaker at, at the, um, ALDF conference claimed that investigations are important.

Well, yeah, they have... I mean, I mean, yeah They have been for a long time, and valuable to advocacy work, and that most people don't want their meat to come from factory farms. Uh, that is, I mean, that's the whole ballgame, isn't it? Most people don't want their meat to come from factory farms. They don't know that all of the meat comes from factory farms, and they don't know that they can eat something else.

That is the whole key. But anyway, um, as activists target agriculture, they are working to build up that narrative. Well, I highly approve of that 'cause that is the narrative that's working. Um, the takeaway, and I have a little more to say about that, don't, don't jump on me. The takeaway was straightforward: litigation continues to be viewed as one of the animal rights movement's most effective tools for advancing its objectives.

I totally agree. I totally agree. I think that the lawyers - I know I'm a lawyer, and I do the Animal Law Podcast, and now I feel like the Animal Agriculture Alliance just, just touting my own thing, but it is. Like, the, the great... Like, advocacy is, is really hard for all of the reasons that we all know. People don't wanna hear it.

The law has openings. They're tiny, and they're weird, and they're kind of fun to figure out, and there's a potential for change there. All right, she's also talking about the AVA Conference, Animal and Vegan Advocacy Conference, and she, uh, points out that there is this disagreement in strategy among activists.

Some speakers argue that the right path was an incremental animal housing reform, referencing current campaigns focused on cage-free eggs, attempting to strengthen relationships with food companies by allowing them to make small steps toward achieving a set goal. Others disagreed completely with, quote, "total abolition thought to be the only way to move, move forward in these types of campaigns."

Well, uh, welcome to the animal rights movement. I mean, that's not exactly news. Uh, yeah, that is, that, that is very true And very obvious and has been for a very long time. Um, all right, uh, speakers encourage activists to map an organization's entire network, I like that, uh, calling it their ecosystem, so board members, investors, suppliers, customers, partners, family members, identifying different pressure points.

This is a sophisticated... I, I, I like that. That's a sophisticated approach. The takeaway was clear, she says. Activist campaigns are becoming more strategic, coordinated, and sophistic- oh, sophisticated. See, we're so on the same page, Abby and me. Um, with increasing emphasis on influencing companies, supply chains, and public opinion from multiple angles.

I, uh... You know, reading these things is so reassuring in so many ways. Uh, they think we're dangerous. I think they're right. For pork producers, I mean, of course she's focused on pork because she's writing for the pork, uh, magazine. For pork producers, this reinforces the importance of maintaining strong relationships throughout the supply chain, blah, blah, blah.

Documenting animal care practices, yeah, good luck with that. Documenting. Documenting. Um, that's an imaginative term for, uh, how they talk about their animal care practices. Um, communicating transparently, oh, okay, let's do that. Game over. That'll fix everything. And staying informed about emerging activist narratives before they gain momentum, i.e., keep an eye on me and my organization and we'll tell you everything.

All right, uh, let's see. What's next? What's next? Why isn't this opening? This is from Watt AgNet. Also about... I, I'm not sure exactly why, uh, Watt AgNet is an egg, uh, you know, publication. Report grades food manufacturers on cage-free egg pledges.

Th- they're just... This is just a report on, um, The Humane League's Eggs pose, uh, get it? Eggs pose, um, talking about how various co- some companies are complying with their cage-free promises, which were made like 10 years ago, I mean, a lot of these promises, and some aren't, and some are in the middle. Uh, Humane League's Eggs pose find some companies delivered on decade-old cage-free commitments while others stalled or reversed.

This is by Roy Graeber. And that's really all this is reporting on. If you're interested, I, I suggest you read it. It... but, uh, we kinda know some of them, some... I, I don't know whether you care which ones are, because it's not like they're, they're treating animals well, or they're getting, uh, eggs from someplace that would not trouble you, obviously.

But, uh, you know, in... It's kind of interesting that they, they think it's worth, uh, reporting on this. So I guess they think that it does help them. It does help egg companies if, if they get a good mark here. I, I don't really know about that, but, um... All right, so if you're interested in what companies are actually working towards cage-free, I, I recommend that article.

It's in Watt Poultry. All right, this, uh, th- that's enough of that. Um, milk. This is a really depressing article and just brace, brace yourself. This is from Dairy Herd Management. More milk is coming. Can dairy demand keep up? This is such an interesting title because it makes clear that they are not trying to adjust supply to demand.

They are trying to adjust demand to supply, and because they are in a position to increase supply -- I used to think that dairy was dead. Boy, it is anything but. It is growing and growing and growing. Uh, milk production keeps climbing, but changing consumer tastes and growing demand for protein could give dairy more places to put all that milk.

That is their goal because I, uh, I don't, I really don't know. Is it because of the methane? Because they're, they're now in, in, at least in some places, in the business of producing methane, and the milk is like a byproduct that they have to get rid of? I really don't know. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna pretend that I know the answers to what's going on financially here.

But they are producing more and more and more milk, including in the state I live in, New York State. Um, government is really supportive of this. Uh, it's your tax dollars at work, and, and they gotta think of places to put all that milk. I mean, they've been doing that for a long time, the whole cheese thing and putting the cheese in the crust of the pizzas and, like, every- They just try to stick this crap everywhere.

Overall production numbers, uh, this is by Sarah Youngman, um, overall production numbers for the year exceed expectations month after month, and that's even taking, taking into account that July was low because of heat stress. Poor little cows. Um, growth is expected to continue in 2027, leaving a massive amount of supply for the market to find buyers for.

Think of how this b- this business is working. Like, they're not trying to fulfill customer needs or desires. They're trying to create them. So they wanna create new products and market to consumers looking for clean protein sources, which is what they consider milk. Uh, they're also, you know, working on exports.

Exports are already high. Uh, they're working on protein. Protein cold foam, protein lattes, convenience stores o- offering protein chocolate milk, protein, protein, protein. Uh, I don't think we're getting g- gonna get rid of the protein craze, but I think we really, really as you all are, I know, uh, you know, working to remind people that vegetables have protein and grains have protein, and beans have really, really great protein.

Um, the USDA made an announcement regarding new funding available for cold chain grants. So, uh, this is seven and a half million dollars in grants. That's the new, uh, the, the new funding. Um, all right, cold chain. This is an interesting factor because, you know, as we all know, milk goes sour, and then it's totally disgusting, and it goes sour pretty easily, and so it has to be kept cold.

That's really expensive. It uses loads of energy. Why are w- why? Why? Why? Why? You know, I ordered some Elmhurst milk the other day, uh, from, I don't know. It was on sale and, and I ordered it delivered, um, probably from some place you will disapprove of me using, but, you know, what am, what can I say? It, it might have been Walmart or Amazon or something.

Anyway, it arrives in a cold pack. Elmhurst milk doesn't have to be refrigerated, and yet they put... Because it, it's in cartons that kind of look like old-school milk cartons. They refrigerated it and delivered it in a cold pack. It's ridiculous. I know. I'm digressing a little bit. Um, the new food pyramid guidelines, uh, they're thrilled with them.

Bringing back whole milk as an option in schools, they're thrilled with that. Of course, as we, uh, as we pointed out last week they're supposed to be bringing back whole milk as an option in school. Well, they're not supposed to be, but the law, the new law, uh, allows them to do that. But at the same time, they're supposed to be making plant-based milks, uh, more available, and they're not doing that part.

Same law, they're just not doing that part. Both serve as examples of a government-led change in the way the market views food sources. Yeah. Your government at work. Let's, let's push that milk down those little baby throats. Uh, should chlorine treatment be disclosed on chicken labels? This is by Gregory Bloom on Meatingplace.

And, um, I would say yes. Yes, Gregory, I think they should. Well, the important thing to keep track here is that this is Meatingplace, which is mostly a beef... Um, you know, it covers the industry as a whole, but it's mostly a beef, beef site. And so, uh, chicken's their competitor. Uh, and, and Gregory kind of thinks that they, they should be disclosing chlorine treatment in chicken.

I wonder why. Um, a- all right. So the whole point is that you have to kill microbes, um, in, in selling poultry. Uh, there's this whole thing, the difference in Eur- Europe uses air-chilled, we use water-chilled. Water-chilled, uh, may use chlo- chlorine, may not, but there's germs in there. That's the problem. You have to do something about them.

You can use chlorine, and you can also use other products such as peracetic acid. Is that better? Is that worse? I have no idea. Acidified sodium chlorite and other approved treatments. Um So, uh, the, the thing is, is like not should they use these, nobody's here is arguing about that, but should consumers know?

Under USDA rules, when these substances meet the definition of a processing aid and are used under approved conditions, they generally do not have to appear in the ingredient statement. You know those ingredient statements that people like, you know, when they hold up a package of Beyond Meat and say, "Oh my God, it has all these ingredients.

I don't know what they are, but I'm sure they're bad"? Well, chlorine is one of the ingredients in their little package of chicken, which they think has no ingredients other than chicken, that they're not being told about. Um, so, uh, one of the things he does say is interesting is because, because this... I know this is disgusting.

Because raw poultry carcasses, um, or parts retain water as a result of post-eviscerat- evisceration processing, the USDA requires that retained water be disclosed on the label. So it might say, "Up to 5% retained water." Well, people might see that and say, "Oh, water. Well, that's okay. It's just water." They don't have to say it has chlorine.

Oh, so he points out, we may require consumers to be told how much processed water remains in the chicken, while an antimicrobial used as a processing aid during that process may not have to be identified. It's, oh, God, it's all such a scam. If a processor used a chlorine-based mi- antimicrobial treatment during processing, why shouldn't the package say something like, "Treated during processing with a chlorine-based antimicrobial to reduce bacteria"?

Well, why do you think? Let's see. Why would they object to that? I, I just can't, um... I can't, I can't imagine. Some people, he points out, would argue that putting chemical names on packages would scare consumers without giving them any useful information. Uh, you know, uh, ingredients. I'll decide what, what's useful.

Uh, you know, maybe you shouldn't. That's a legitimate concern. Peracetic acid certainly doesn't sound as friendly on a label as air-chilled. No, it doesn't. But is friendliness the thing we're going for in labeling? Uh, he's not suggesting we should stop using these, these products. He's asking whether we should tell consumers when we do.

I mean, this is Meatingplace saying this, so, uh, I think the answer is yes. What do you think?

Unbelievable. All right, more unbelievable. Good news for bacon lovers you'll be happy to hear. You don't have to give up pork to lose weight. It's by Jennifer Shike on, um, Pork Business. A new study reveals that people who habitually ate pork while at a structured weight loss program successfully shed pounds and even improved their overall diet quality.

So the point she's making is that if you have some pork on a diet that you're following, that is, like, I don't know, I don't, I don't know whether it's specifically calories or some other way of controlling your intake, you can still lose weight. Well, duh. Like, like, like, uh, if some of your ca- th- it... Like, this is the kind of bullshit they like to put out there that, uh, makes people think, "Oh, well, I can eat lots of...

I can eat bacon," th- which, of which there is a big picture here, uh, and, "and lose weight." Well, no. It's like, if you're going on a calorie restricted diet, it doesn't matter if some of those calories are from pork. If, if, if, as long as you come up with the right amount of calories at the end. That's all this proves.

Oh, God, they'll do anything. Are people really this stupid? Although those who did not eat pork in the study lost slightly more weight, so it's not like the pork didn't make any difference at all. Um, both groups comfortably exceeded the 5% threshold for clinically meaningful weight loss because they were on a diet.

Oh, jeez. All right, what is, what is this one? Blame It On the Rain. I don't even remember I, I swear I look at these pla- these first. Uh, this is from Meating Place from Tom Johnston, and, um, this is about th- the whole beef thing. And, uh, he considers it worrisome that there's this disconnect between the Beltway and the beef supply chain.

He starts off by saying about the growing divide between urban American consumer and agriculture creating a value in which misinformation thrives. I mean, come on. C- like the vast majority of Americans have not lived on farms for a very long time. Yes, it does, uh, create a vacuum in which misinformation thrives, and guess who's feeding that misinformation to the American public, which is remains very naive about what goes on a farm.

But anyway, that's not what he's talking about here. He's talking about beef. Um, and, and of course, the beef industry is very, very upset about the fact that the government is, is allowing imports of beef from other countries in order to get the price down, and they say that's not gonna work. I think they're probably right that it's not gonna work.

Uh, I think the com- the stores will just continue to charge the same price. Maybe it means that the price will go up more, but you know, there's a, th- there's a shortage of beef being produced in America for a, a number of reasons. And, um, he goes through some of those reasons because he thinks these policy decisions are, are misguided and, um, and it's not because producers are making so much money.

Uh, it, it's because of other reasons, and it's not, um, it, it's not something that is the, the beef industry's fault. In none of those purported solutions is acknowledgement of what force is truly in charge, Mother Nature. All this drought, all these wildfires, and then there's just the natural cattle production cycle, which means that you can't, like, catch up, like, in a day.

Uh, it takes time to rebuild your, rebuild your herd, as they like to put it. Um, and how increasingly pricey it is for ranchers to get... So you don't think that drought and wildfires or the natural cattle production cycle for that matter have anything to do with cattle producers? Okay. Okay. That's not surprising, I guess.

Like, guess whose fault it is? Th- there's no room any... I mean, h- the point he actually manages to make is that aside from any animal welfare or rights concerns, uh, the, the beef industry can't function anymore. The, the weather is too erratic because of the beef industry, and not just because they're making it worse, because, because the beef industry can't function in this kind of, uh, climactic environment, and it ain't gonna change. It's gonna get worse.

Um, data is emerging to show that there's new resistance and shifts to cheaper proteins as a resact- reaction to the prices. Yeah, cheaper proteins, cheaper, healthier proteins, AKA, this is me, not him, obviously, AKA beans. All right, Zac Polanski, this is the Green Party guy, um, i- in the UK who is vegan. I, I just thought this is interesting and something to keep an eye on.

It doesn't have anything to do with Rising Tide so... Well, maybe it does. I, I could probably spin it that way. But he said... This is in Plant Based News. I just thought this was interesting, the, the way people are putting this, and it, it coordinates very much with what so many people are saying in the, in, in the US, what I was saying before about being anti-factory farming, which, you know, people tend to agree with.

The leader of the Green Party said he would end factory farming during an interview with Plant Based News. Now admittedly, this is n- does not summarize the entire interview. It's just a brief article, and said he would ban factory farming, or he would like to. Um, he made these comments at the year's Vegan Camp Out.

I heard about that in the UK. Didn't sound like my kinda thing 'cause I d- I don't like to be around a lot of people even if they're vegan, but you know, I think it's great. Um, he added... He, he referenced the animal cruelty, uh, he referenced health, and he referenced the antibiotics. Um, and he highlighted the need for a society that works to support farmers and, and a sustainable food system.

So all that sounds great, and, you know, he is a longtime vegan, so I don't think he's just saying stuff. But I, I don't understand, and, and this, this may be just me. I may be totally wrong here, or I'm not even sure I'm wrong because I'm not sure what my position is. But I just don't get it how you talk about banning factory farming or getting rid of factory farming without mentioning that this means that people have to stop eating meat, or Almost everybody has to stop eating meat, and meat has to be extremely, extremely expensive.

Like, how do you not put those two things together? But maybe, maybe that's the way to go. Maybe, maybe it's just, you know, we should all say we're against factory farming and not say what we're for. Um, and even if we're for, like, you know, whatever, whatever fantasy world they live in that there are these small farmers who treat their animals nicely, like not mention that this would mean it would be wildly more expensive and we couldn't get, um, uh...

I don't get it. I don't get it. Um, all right. Then we have a few, uh, just, just brief, I'll, I'll just briefly mention. Um, you may be going crazy because of how much veterinarians cost and how m- hard it is to get an appointment. Well, so are livestock farmers. Why does anybody who goes to vet school, which is very hard, very, very hard, why do they then go into the livestock industry, which is very, very horrible?

I, I think it's weird. Like, there are loads of jobs for vets, we all know. Um, but 60% of Kansas livestock producers report veterinarian shortage. I don't know how much they use vets, but they do use them. Um, they, from, for everything from routine herd work to emergency care. Uh, I'm not sure how much emergency.

I guess it depends on the animal. But, uh, you know, I guess they, they do have to have vets to do some things, uh, to keep the animals from dying before they can kill them. Um, so that, it, I, I think that's a pretty big crisis, I actually do, because it's a crisis for all of us. All right, our disease update for the week, 'cause we wouldn't wanna miss talking about disease.

All right, so they're, they were just about to or- open the border to, um, the US-Mexico border, um, in a phased reopening of US ports to Mexican livestock. And in, uh, they came up with a confirmed case of New World screw worm in Ciudad Juárez. That's, like, the, the city that's directly across from El Paso. Uh, so I think that things are on hold for the moment, and I don't know what's gonna happen, but they must be completely freaked out.

Uh, 'cause they, you know, they really wanna pretend that they can get back to normal here, and New World screw worm is terrifying.

Um, all right. What the 2026 food safety recalls teach the poultry industry. This is from Watt AgNet. And they're, they, they, they're mostly scrambling to try to establish that a- all...

You know, foodborne illness, for those of you who aren't in the US, everybody in the US already knows that we're completely freaked out. I mean, there have been some very serious, uh, particularly the cyclospora outbreak, but really bad salmonella outbreaks. You know, these things always happen, but they're happening a lot more, and of course it's because the federal government, which is mostly in charge of doing this stuff, has been eviscerated.

Um, and they're tr- This article is mostly trying to establish that the, most of the foodborne illnesses... Actually, they're trying to establish that all of the foodborne illnesses didn't come from animal foods. Even if animal foods were involved, it was 'cause they got mixed, like with... And, you know, with the cyclospora, this seems to be true.

It's, it's mostly, it's the lettuce, I think, uh, jalapeno peppers, you know, and things that were packaged foods that got mixed together, uh, might have had animal foods in them, but they weren't the source. Um, and, uh, she's talking about the cyclospora lettuce, uh, outbreak, and she points out that this was part of a broader outbreak that sickened nearly 2,000 people tied to lettuce from Taylor Farms.

The company is also involved in the jalapeno outbreak above. I don't envy their PR and food safety people right now. I mean, I know she's in the business and she's talking to other people in the business, but really like, I, y- the people you're worried about here are their, are the PR people who work for Taylor Farms, uh, and not...

I mean, this is a horrible, horrible... Not fatal and not permanent. I mean, I guess, I guess it could be in, you know, people who are, who are not well, but, uh, but it's really gruesome. God, I, I haven't eaten lettuce in months. Um, I mean, I do eat vegetables, but I cook 'em. In every case, the poultry product was, itself wasn't the source.

It was the delivery vehicle for contamination that entered somewhere upstream. Acting as if, you know, there's no problem with, um, with poultry itself. Of course, there are huge problems with poultry itself, and I'm not sure it's true that all of the salmonella, um, uh, outbreaks weren't connected to the poultry itself.

So yeah, they're upset about that. Um, in the UK apparently there're, the livestock farmers are on high alert about bluetongue Never even heard of this one. Apparently it makes... It's, it's cows, I think maybe pigs as well, and it makes them really sick. It doesn't necessarily kill them, but, you know, it makes them sick.

And, um, there's, there... It does, it does kill sheep apparently. All right, it, it actually affects a lot of animals. Sorry, I'm not up to speed here. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer, and camelids, including alpacas and llamas. All right, so doesn't say anything about affecting humans, but, but it makes the animals really sick, and of course it can affect milk yields.

Oh, God forbid. Oh, I think that's, that's our disease update for the week, and that's it for Rising Anxieties. Um, I hope, uh, I haven't made yours rise too much, but, you know, that's what we do. We worry. And, um, don't forget to subscribe, like, and comment, favorite podcatcher or on YouTube, and tune into The Hen Report and The Our Hen House interview.

Got a great interview this week. It's an Animal Law Podcast interview. And I will see you next time.