A New Way Forward
Thank you for reviewing the “2025 National Animal Rights Act.” This legislation is not merely a proposal, it is a declaration. It represents an urgent and non-negotiable demand to end widespread animal cruelty and to reform the deeply flawed meat and dairy industry. Its an ultimatum for our health safety and inspection agencies like the FDA and EPA to prioritize our health and cut ties with the BigAg corperations who have monopolized the industry. If this bill is rejected, it will return quickly and repeatedly with intensified public demand, until the systemic poisoning of the American people by the industrial agriculture system is brought to an end. There is no place in this country for oppression and animal cruelty. The time to act is now.
This bill is not an attack on farmers; it is a call for accountability from billion-dollar corporations and industrial meat and dairy conglomerates that rely on the inhumane and exploitative model of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. If these corporations can afford private jets, they can afford to provide animals with the basic right to stand, turn around, and avoid psychological torture.
The goal of this legislation is to ensure that farmers across the United States can continue to operate successfully while transitioning to humane, sustainable practices. This transition is not only feasible, but also necessary for the health of this nation and the globe. With federal subsidies, bipartisan collaboration, and effective support from agencies such as the USDA, FDA, and EPA, we can provide the resources needed to help farmers adapt their infrastructure, practices, and business models to align with higher animal welfare regulations such as the Max Occupancy Standard system (MOS).
By providing rural farmers in agricultural communities physical, strategic, and economic support we can help create proper transition plans. Such as helping with battery cage and gestation crate removals. If there was a federal body within the USDA established to oversee the subsidies for the farmers, along with physical and strategic help, we can build a food system that treats animals humanely while preserving the livelihoods of small and medium farms. One could argue that this bill would disrupt supply chains however another animal to human pandemic would alter the agricultural economy much more catastrophically. The number of lives that could be saved from this extensive bill could be enormous based on data from prior pandemics and the number of victims from airborne sicknesses and contaminated waterways from factory farms (3).
Our very own Secretary of Health and Human services has stated factory farms are “barbaric and corrupt” and that they destroy family farms, poison people, contaminate waterways, and “destroy democracy”. A wide range of respected scientists, public health experts, economists, ethicists, and environmental advocates have spoken out against factory farming. Animal welfare specialists have exposed the severe psychological and physical suffering inflicted on animals, while public health professionals warn of the risks it poses through the spread of zoonotic diseases.
It doesn’t matter your political affiliation, race, gender, creed, or age, it should be of great importance to not eat sick, infected, and diseased animals that have been victims of animal abuse. Below is a summary of the projected challenges and substantial benefits of this legislation. The projected benefits heavily outweigh the potential challenges.
Potential Challenges and Considerations
1. Infrastructure Overhaul: CAFOs and industrial-scale farms may require substantial capital investments to meet humane and environmental compliance standards.
2. Rising Consumer Costs: Transitioning to ethical farming practices may increase the retail price of meat and dairy products due to higher production and labor costs.
3. Reduced Profit Margins for Industrial Farms: Corporate producers that depend on high-volume, low-cost models may experience reduced profitability under new regulations.
4. Short-Term Supply Chain Adjustments: The transition away from confinement-based systems may lead to temporary disruptions in processing and distribution networks.
Major Benefits of the 2025 National Animal Rights Act
Animal Welfare and Ethical Farming
1. Establishes comprehensive, enforceable standards for humane animal treatment in agriculture.
2. Ends the systemic suffering of animals confined in industrial farming facilities.
3. Bans artificial insemination as a reproductive method in commercial operations.
4. Prohibits the use of growth hormones that negatively impact animal health and consumer safety.
5. Eliminates selective breeding practices that result in deformities and chronic pain.
6. Outlaws battery cages, significantly reducing stress-induced behaviors like cannibalism in poultry.
7. Bans the use of gestation crates and veal pens, enabling animals to move freely.
8. Decreases the number of preventable animal deaths caused by neglect and overcrowded conditions.
9. Protects genetic diversity in poultry and livestock by ending artificial breeding practices.
10. Implements the MOS (Max Occupancy Standard) to guarantee natural movement.
11. Enhances welfare standards for newborn and juvenile farm animals.
12. Holds individuals and corporations legally accountable for documented animal cruelty.
Public Health and Food Safety
13. Reduces reliance on antibiotics, helping to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
14. Lowers the risk of zoonotic diseases and future pandemics originating from livestock.
15. Decreases the spread of infectious diseases such as avian influenza.
16. Improves the nutritional quality and safety of meat and dairy products.
17. Results in fewer cases of diet-related illness and hospitalizations.
18. Lessens the economic burden of chronic health conditions linked to poor dietary quality.
19. Lowers the population’s risk of developing cancer and other serious diseases.
20. Reduces dietary exposure to carcinogens found in conventionally produced meats.
21. Closes the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) loophole, requiring rigorous food additive review.
22. Strengthens food safety by improving oversight of new additives and ingredients.
23. Mandates comprehensive safety assessments for lab-grown meat prior to market approval.
Environmental Protection
24. Prevents lagoon and cesspool spills that contaminate public water supplies.
25. Reduces agricultural runoff, protecting rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
26. Improves air quality in surrounding communities and decreases respiratory illness.
27. Significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions linked to industrial animal farming.
Agricultural Reform and Economic Equity
28. Levels the playing field for small and mid-sized farms, restoring fair market competition.
29. Holds large producers like Tyson, JBS, and Smithfield to consistent ethical standards.
30. Ensures equitable distribution of federal agricultural subsidies across all farm sizes.
31. Eliminates public funding for operations that engage in animal cruelty.
32. Requires all fast food and retail chains to source from ethically certified farms.
33. Expands job opportunities in sustainable agriculture for students and young professionals.
34. Protects farmers from exploitative corporate contracts and debt traps.
35. Allocates funding to support infrastructure upgrades and transitions to humane farming systems.
Government Accountability and Consumer Transparency
36. Enhances transparency in regulatory bodies responsible for food and agricultural safety.
37. Encourages global improvements in animal welfare by setting international benchmarks.
38. Limits the influence of corporate lobbyists over agricultural and food policy.
39. Prohibits conflicts of interest by barring BigAg executives from regulatory agency leadership.
40. Requires clear and honest labeling to empower informed consumer choices.
41. Ends financial relationships between regulators and the companies they oversee.
42. Improves international trade opportunities by aligning with higher import/export standards.
43. Enforces regular, impartial farm inspections with full public reporting.
44. Mandates country-of-origin labeling for all animal-based food imports.
45. Launches a public database to track farm compliance, certification, and violation history.
46. Increases awareness of global animal cruelty and encourages international reform.
47. Restores public trust and ethical standards to American agriculture.
Worker and Community Health
48. Improves working conditions and reduces health risks for farm laborers and processing workers.
49. Decreases environmental illnesses, especially in rural communities affected by CAFO pollution.
50. Builds long-term public trust in a food system that prioritizes health, ethics, and sustainability.
Government Assistance and Subsidization
Current federal subsidies, amounting to approximately $30 billion annually, overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest industrial farms and CAFOs. These operations contribute disproportionately to water contamination, air pollution, and climate emissions (3). When these subsidies fund environmental destruction, poor animal welfare, and food-related illness, taxpayers essentially fund their own harm.
This legislation calls for a redirection of those subsidies toward farms that promote animal well-being, protect ecosystems, and produce healthier food. Organic, regenerative, and pasture-based farms already demonstrate that ethical agriculture is not only possible but profitable. Even simple reforms, like allowing outdoor access for confined animals, would lead to healthier livestock and safer food.
We must confront the excessive influence of corporate agriculture over public health and policy. Legislative and regulatory decisions must be guided by science, ethics, and public interest, not by industry profits. The path forward involves funding research, supporting farmers through the transition, creating job opportunities, and establishing clear national standards. If passed, this bill will create a sustainable, transparent, and just agricultural system that reflects American values and secures a better future for all.