Factory+Farms

= Please be sure to scroll down to explore helpful resources on this page! =

CURRENT NEWS ABOUT YOUR TOPIC
(PLEASE pay attention to the source of these articles -- not all are about US policy!) rss url="http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=factory+farming&cf=all&output=rss" link="true" number="10"

INTEREST GROUPS
[|American Farm Bureau] and organization's animal care brief - • [|National Livestock Producers Association] and newspaper article explaining perspectives of livestock producers: [] • [|Ohio Farm Bureau](many states have such organizations) and newspaper article explaining impact of farm regulation on farmers: [] • [|National Institute for Animal Agriculture] and information about a number of topics related to animal care: [] • [|Center for Consumer Freedom] - look for links on left side of page about factory farming • American Veterinary Medical Association - policy position on proposed legislation on antibiotic use on farms -http://avmacan.avma.org/avma/issues/bills/?bill=13873251
 * You are welcome to look for other groups - this list may help you get started. **

• [|Farm Sanctuary] • [|In Defense of Animals] • [|American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)] and specifically on factory farming - [] • [|Humane Society] • [|People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA] - on factory farming/food safety: [] (**important**: see also tabs on the top of this page about other work the organization is doing to protect animals used in research, entertainment, etc. AND specific tabs about types of animals on the right-hand side of the page). • This interest group's website contains helpful information and graphics about factory farming - http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/factoryfarms/ - and see tabs at bottom about types of animals to see concentration of animals by county. []

• PEW Charitable Trusts [|report on factory farming]
 * HELPFUL RESOURCES**

• Video Monitoring - [] • Animal Abuser Registry Law - http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/10/20/no-more-pets-for-animal-abusers-in-ny/55366/ • Humane Society voluntary registration - http://www.certifiedhumane.org/index.php?page=see-the-video • Downed cattle video - http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2008/01/undercover_investigation_013008.html http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/07/factory-farms-vs-video-activists-who-will-control-what-we-see/241568/
 * SOME POLICY IDEAS:**
 * State laws on factory farming and video monitoring -**

[|• Center for Food Safety] - policy recommendation-

STATISTICS/OPINION POLLS
• [|Pew Trust poll]from 2009 includes in depth public opinion polling of food safety issues and how much the government should regulate.

• [|Pew Trust poll]from 2009 looks at a number of social issues (have to seek out information related to animal rights) - includes questions on wearing fur and animal testing for research.

[|Gallup poll] (2003) shares public opinion on treatment of animals and factory farms (will need to look for questions specific to factory farms) and may want to piece together portions of a number of polls.

[|Gallup poll] on Americans' views on food safety

JUDICIAL BRANCH
Suggested case for you to review in New Jersey - [|link 1], [|link 2]

An attempt to document ([|HBO film]) animal rights abuses and resulting lawsuit in Ohio. [|Link to outcome of case].

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
[|Maine Law of Animal Treatment on Factory Farms]

[|Summary of other laws relating to animal welfare]

[|Proposed law to curb antibiotic use among farm animals] - contains some helpful information about prevalence of antibiotic use on farms


 * Federal Law: Animal Welfare Act** - [|http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=3&tax_level=3&tax_subject=182&topic_id=1118&level3_id=6735&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&placement_default=]

Should the USDA require more accurate labeling of foods so consumers will be aware of the farming practices behind their food? [|Farm Sanctuary's campaign - Truth Behind Labels]
 * Food Labeling**

Creation of new government office to oversee food safety, and opposition to Obama's new food czar - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/youre-appointing-who-plea_b_243810.html

EXECUTIVE BRANCH
There are a number of programs relating to factory farming managed through the US Department of Agriculture.

Click on [|this link] for an overview of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and watch the brief welcome video. For more information about programs that focus on different aspects of factory farming, see more specific links below. [|Meat and Poultry Inspection] Link to a [|recent article] about abuse at a Vermont farm and the [|USDA's response].

[|Earthjustice] - [|Specific article on policy change]
 * HELPFUL RESOURCES - POLLUTION**

To help with alternative viewpoints, look for environmental/health issues on the right-hand side of the web page on [|ProCon.org]

North Carolina hog farm waste - [|Environmental Defense Fund] North Carolina State University - [|research on farm waste]

[|EPA rule changes on requiring CAFOs to report on air and water quality] - US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce [|Sierra Club] - EPA rule change on air pollution [|More information on the EPA rule changes] and [|Wall Street Journal Article] [|Coalition asks EPA to regulation air pollution] - Humane Society [|Is Obama ready to take on CAFOs?]

[|USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service] [|Sierra Club] - victory in Michigan to require CAFOs to submit detailed plans for managing pollution (manure) from farms. Should the same rules apply across all states?

[|viewpoint - American Veterinary Medical Association]

[|Animal Waste Management] [|Agricultural Research Service (ARS)] - efforts to treat groundwater from pig farms

• PETA's [|Got Pus? Campaign] and this [|article] to counter PETA's arguments about food safety • Interest group working on food safety issues - [|hormones] - and [|antibiotics]
 * SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT FOOD SAFETY**

• IMPORTANT June 2010 article about FDA rules to reduce antibiotic use - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062804973.html and related article in Food Safety News: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/07/on-antibiotic-resistance-in-food-animals/

• CBS News/video - Feb. 2010 - Animal Antibiotic Use Hurting Humans? - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/09/eveningnews/main6191530.shtml • Pew - Antibiotics and Human Safety- http://www.saveantibiotics.org/

[|• European Union policies] (scroll down to 2.4) [|• CNN article] on use of antibiotics in animal production - includes helpful evidence [|• Humane Society] - [|• Pew Trusts] - information about Transatlantic Task Force and [|general information on human health and industrial farming] • Mad cow disease information - [|Centers for Disease Control] (includes helpful chart) - scroll down to section on Feed Bans [|• Legislation pending in Congress]- Humane Society source and the [|bill in the House of Representatives] and [|Union of Concerned Scientists] and [|opposing] (Needs to be updated??) • Dangers of antibiotic overuse - • Antibiotics on farms: http://www.physorg.com/news181238071.html

• Denmark's action on antiobiotics and factory farming: http://www.saveantibiotics.org/denmark.html