A New Way Forward

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. These proposed federal laws are not just common ethics that should be followed. They are basic principles of human decency and represent a future with less disease and suffering. We are not trying to attack farmers, but call for accountability from billion-dollar corporations and industrial meat and dairy conglomerates that rely on inhumane and exploitative practices. 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 blueprint of 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 federal legislation would disrupt supply chains, however another pandemic would alter the agricultural economy much more catastrophically. The number of lives that could be saved from having federal legislation 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 like bird flu.

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.

  In every state, it’s a priority to redirect those subsidies to 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.