Founded | 1995 |
---|---|
Founder | Paul Shapiro |
Type | Nonprofit |
Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
Focus | Cruelty to animals in agriculture |
Location |
|
Key people | Cheryl Leahy, Erica Meier |
Website | animaloutlook |
Formerly called | Compassion Over Killing (COK) |
Animal Outlook, formerly known as Compassion Over Killing (COK), [1] is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. It is headed since May 2021[ failed verification ] by Executive Director Cheryl Leahy, [2] who succeeded Erica Meier. Formed in 1995, as a high school club, their primary campaigns are to advocate against factory farming and promote vegan eating. While the group welcomes those who are interested in animal welfare who eat meat, it encourages a transition to a plant-based diet. [3]
The group conducted an investigation into the living conditions at Maryland henhouses, documenting corpses found in group cages and rescuing some of the hens found in the worst conditions. [3] One of the farms documented, owned by ISE America, housed more than 800,000 hens. [5] Following a tip about substandard conditions at the farm, Animal Outlook requested permission to visit the farm before proceeding with an undercover investigation. [5]
The spokesperson for the owner of the farm in question said that the conditions found at the farm were "normal industry practices". [6] While one of the farms asserted that the video footage was not taken at its farm, Animal Outlook had filmed its GPS location as well as mail addressed to the farm in question. [7]
In early 2006, an Animal Outlook investigation inside a Pennsylvania egg farm led to criminal charges of 35 counts of animal cruelty against the owner and manager of the farm, the first case of its kind. [8] Although, charges were pressed by a local animal control officer after viewing a video provided by Animal Outlook, the owner and manager of the farm were eventually acquitted in 2007. [9]
Animal Outlook's undercover video exposing animal abuse at Central Valley Meat Co. (CVM) prompted the USDA to shut down [10] the California slaughterhouse in 2012 and suspend federal purchases from the facility, a major supplier to the USDA's National School Lunch Program. California-based fast food chain, In-N-Out Burger immediately severed ties with its former supplier CVM [11] upon the release of Animal Outlook's investigation findings, followed by national chains McDonald's and Costco. In February 2014, the facility was again shut down by the USDA for unsanitary conditions. [12]
In 2013, an Animal Outlook activist was arrested (although charges were eventually dropped) in Colorado for filming alleged cattle abuse at the Quanah Cattle Company and failing to report the abuse "in a timely manner". Animal Outlook Executive Director Erica Meier stated that this is a "shoot-the-messenger strategy aimed at detracting attention away from the crimes of those who actually abused animals." [13]
In 2014, an Animal Outlook investigation exposed chickens being buried alive at a North Carolina factory farm supplying Pilgrim's Corp. (formerly Pilgrim's Pride), the second largest chicken producer in the world and a supplier for Chick-Fil-A, Burger King, Wendy's and Walmart. CNN broke the shocking story. [14]
In early 2015, an Animal Outlook investigator documented horrific treatment of baby birds - including mutilations, gassing and being ground up alive - inside a Foster Farms hatchery in Fresno, California. [15] [16]
At a North Carolina chicken slaughterhouse owned by Mountaire Farms, Inc., the seventh largest chicken producer in the U.S, Animal Outlook exposed [17] birds being violently thrown and punched, their feathers being ripped out, and sick or injured birds left in piles to die slowly.
In 2015, an Animal Outlook investigator uncovered conditions in a Minnesota facility that kills and processes animals for Hormel. This plant is one of the largest pig slaughterhouses in the U.S., and one of five plants enrolled in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP), a pilot USDA program that allows for faster processing of animals with reduced government inspection.
The Washington Post broke the story of the investigation, writing, [18] "Months worth of footage have raised serious concerns about the conditions at one of the largest pork processors in the U.S., and started a government investigation."
In 2013, an Audit Report [19] issued by the USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) underscored concerns that HIMP may pose food safety risks.
Animal Outlook's innovative Legal Advocacy Program has been working since 2004 to use the legal system to oppose the system injustices of factory farming. Using existing criminal law and civil litigation, the Program focuses on fighting large-scale animal cruelty on factory farms and works to protect consumers from manipulation and unfair practices by the animal agriculture industry. Because farmed animals are given almost no protection under the law, this challenging work is vitally important.
The Legal Advocacy Program seeks enforcement of existing criminal laws against owners and employees of the facilities for the harming of animals, and develops legal analysis in order to bring landmark lawsuits and other legal actions. The Program also conducts outreach and education, providing attorneys, legal students, and the public with information about farmed animals and the law.
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an American member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 member-cooperatives, and about 9,000 employees who process and distribute products for about 300,000 agricultural producers, handling 12 billion pounds of milk annually. It is ranked third on the National Cooperative Bank Co-op 100 list of mutuals and cooperatives. The co-op is one of the largest producers of butter and cheese in the United States through its dairy foods business; serves producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers through its Purina Animal Nutrition business; and delivers seed, crop protection products, agricultural services and agronomic insights to 1,300 locally owned and operated cooperative and independent agricultural retailers and their grower customers through its WinField United business.
Animal Aid is a British animal rights organisation, founded in 1977 by Jean Pink. The group campaigns peacefully against the consumption of animals as food and against animal cruelty such as their use for medical research—and promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. It also investigates and exposes animal abuse.
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) is a campaigning and lobbying animal welfare organisation. It campaigns against the live export of animals, certain methods of livestock slaughter, and all systems of factory farming. It has received celebrity endorsements and been recognized by BBC Radio 4 for its campaigning. It has grown to a global movement with partners and supporters concerned about the welfare of farm animals.
The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat. In economics, the meat industry is a fusion of primary (agriculture) and secondary (industry) activity and hard to characterize strictly in terms of either one alone. The greater part of the meat industry is the meat packing industry – the segment that handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as poultry, cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock.
In animal rights and welfare, open rescue is a direct action of rescue practiced by activists. Open rescue involves rescuing animals in pain and suffering, giving the rescued animals veterinary treatment and long-term care, documenting the living conditions, and ultimately publicly releasing the rescue and documentation.
Animal welfare and rights in Israel is about the treatment of and laws concerning nonhuman animals in Israel. Israel's major animal welfare law is the Animal Protection Law, passed in 1994, which has been amended several times since. Several other laws also related to the treatment of animals: Rabies Ordinance, 1934; Fishing Ordinance, 1937; Public Health Ordinance, 1940; Wildlife Protection Law, 1955; Plants Protection Law, 1956; Criminal Procedure Law, 1982; Animal Disease Ordinance, 1985; National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law, 1991; the Law of Veterinarians, 1991; Dog Regulation Law, 2002; Rabies Regulations (Vaccinations), 2005; and Prohibition on declawing cats unless for reasons vital to the cat's health or owner's health, 2011.
Paul Shapiro is an American animal welfare writer who authored the 2018 book Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World. He's also the CEO and cofounder of The Better Meat Co. and the host of the Business for Good Podcast. He has delivered five TEDx talks relating to sustainable food and animal welfare. Prior to publishing Clean Meat, he was known for being an animal protection advocate, both as the founder of Animal Outlook and a Vice President at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an American animal law advocacy organization. Its stated mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. It accomplishes this by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are punished for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. In addition to their national headquarters in Cotati, California, the Animal Legal Defense Fund maintains an office in Portland, Oregon.
The production of foie gras involves the controversial force-feeding of birds with more food than they would eat in the wild, and more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. The feed, usually corn boiled with fat, deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the fatty consistency sought by some gastronomes.
Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chickens are killed for consumption annually. Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers.
Liberation BC is a non-profit animal rights organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 2004. It is run entirely by volunteers, including the board of directors, and has an e-mail network of nearly 4000 supporters. The stated mission of Liberation BC is "to expose animal exploitation through outreach and education, to promote a vegan lifestyle as the most effective and attainable way to protect animals, and to build and provide support for a strong community of effective animal advocates."
Livestock Now is an animal rights group based in Israel and founded in 1994. It focuses on exposing cruelty in factory farms, promoting legislation to protect animals, and raising public awareness.
Anuradha Sawhney was the ex- Chief Functionary and the head of Indian operations of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India. She is an animal rights activist and was the Editor of the Indian edition of the animal rights magazine Animal Times.
Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies."
Assured Food Standards is a United Kingdom company which licenses the Red Tractor quality mark, a farm assurance programme for food products, animal feed and fertiliser. Multiple cases of animal abuse have been reported on Red Tractor assured farms.
Erica Meier is an animal rights advocate and was the president and executive director of Animal Outlook from 2005 to 2021.
Animal welfare and rights in Canada is about the laws concerning and treatment of nonhuman animals in Canada. Canada has been considered to have weak animal welfare protections by the organization World Animal Protection. The vast majority of Canadians are for further animal protections, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Mercy for Animals.
This article is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Australia. Australia has moderate animal protections by international standards.
Animal welfare and rights in Spain is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Spain. Spain has moderate animal protections by international standards.
Animal welfare and rights in France is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in France. France has moderate animal welfare protections by international standards.