vegansaurus!

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals!

First, some good news in our campaign to eradicate gestation crates from pork production: The top eight grocers in Canada (including Walmart Canada) committed to phase out gestation crates. This led one ag reporter to editorialize, “It seems to me like you might as well stick a fork in its butt and turn it over: the gestation stall debate is done.”

Now, some more good news: The Indiana ag-gag bill was killed this week.

I had a new op-ed on CNN.com this week about ag-gag bills that you may want to check out. Also, you may be interested in another new piece of mine (this one on Huffington Post) about the pork industry’s Orwellian name game. And I was glad to do an interview on HuffPost Live this week.

In Tennessee, the ag-gag bill’s sponsor, pork producer state Rep. Andy Holt, created headlines when he sent an email to my coworker comparing HSUS’s cruelty exposés to rape and human trafficking, even calling our work “tape and rape.” There was a lot of attention on this repulsive comparison, but this one

The Tennessee governor is still deciding whether to sign or veto the ag-gag bill. In the meantime, more than 300 Tennessee clergy members sent a letter to him urging a veto.

A woman was arrested in Utah this week for taking photos of a slaughter plant from public property, though the charges were subsequently dropped, leading the Salt Lake Tribune to editorialize that it’s an “ag-gag backfire.”

A new ag-gag bill was introduced in Pennsylvania this week, and the Wayne Independent is the first paper in the state to editorialize against it, asserting that it “goes against everything this country has stood for since its inception.”

Finally, you’ve heard of schools doing Meatless Mondays, but have you heard of them going all-vegetarian? Now you have. Perhaps that’s no surprise, especially considering that a new Consumer Reports study found 90 percent of retail turkey samples contain dangerous bacteria. Whatever the reason may be, meat-free eating is catching on in a major way. As one AP article this week proclaimed: “Vegetarian cooking goes mainstream.”

P.S. Video of the week: Cat loves vacuum

P.P.S. Too fascinating not to share: With smoking declining, U.S. tobacco growers are turning to growing chick peas to supply the increasing demand for hummus. Apparently the invisible hand of the free market is working==and it likes to dip veggies in hummus.

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals

Another big week: Ellen DeGeneres had Wayne Pacelle on her show to talk about the ag-gag fight, while we waged a full court press urging Tennessee’s governor to veto the ag-gag bill now on his desk that would essentially ban whistleblowing exposés of animal cruelty. You can see the new TV ad HSUS is running, along with significant other efforts we’re putting into the state, leading to coverage noting that “never has Gov. Bill Haslam received so much communication on a single issue.”

Nearly every major newspaper in Tennessee is urging Gov. Haslam to veto the bill. The Tennessean decried it as “despicable and unconstitutional.” The Daily News Journal called the bill “ridiculous, immature and idiotic.” The News-Sentinel also put it bluntly, ridiculing the legislation as a “mendacious and despicable measure.”

The ACLU is now getting more involved in the ag-gag battle, including in Tennessee. Meanwhile, in Indiana, the state’s ag-gag bill advanced further in the legislative process, leading the Indianapolis Star to editorialize against the bill, calling it “extremely misguided.”

Here’s a new interview of mine on the ag-gag issue and other farm animal protection topics.

Finally, legislation to ban barren battery cages for laying hens and require battery cage egg cartons to be labeled as “eggs from caged hens” wasre-introduced in the Congress this week, enjoying support from a wide array of animal protection groups and the egg industry’s trade association, though still opposed by nearly every national meat and dairy trade group.

P.S. Video of the week: And the lion shall lay down with the lamb …

P.P.S. New resources of the week: A new HSUS Earth Day-themed Meatless Monday infographic, and a new site by some friends of mine you may be interested in checking out!

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals!

Big week, so buckle up!

First, the Sunday New York Times had a cover feature about the meat industry’s efforts to ban investigations by HSUS and fellow animal protection groups. It even included a full-color HSUS photo of a crated pig on A1 of the paper. As well, the NYT editorial board condemned the industry’s effort, noting “the ag-gag laws guarantee one thing for certain: increased distrust of American farmers.”

(Another interesting NYT story)

Speaking of pigs, remember last year’s major HSUS investigation into a then-Tyson supplier gestation crate confinement facility? Well, we announced this week that several of the people caught on the video were convicted of criminal animal cruelty.

Finally, I did a half-hour segment on Miami’s NPR affiliate this week about the need to reduce per capita rates of meat consumption.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. Video of the week

P.P.S. Live in Mass? Hope to see you Sunday!

The bloodshed of the 2013 Canadian commercial seal hunt has begun  »

Animated video from Humane Society International. It’s a cartoon, so it’s not graphic, but I’ll be damned if I’m not tearing up. That song!

It’s begun. The first seal of the 2013 Canadian commercial seal hunt was killed earlier today, according to the Humane Society. We’ve written a lot on the seal hunt in the past, so I don’t really have anything new to say. Sorry.

There’s great info on the Save the Seals page.

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals!

Ever wonder what’s going on in the heads of animal factory operators? Perhaps some rocks in there? I offer some thoughts in a new piece this week. (And so does the CEO foodservice company Bon Appetit Management Co.)

Speaking of, Tim Horton’s is the latest food industry giant to denounce gestation crates and commit to eliminating them.

Seen ag giant Perdue’s “humane” claims on their chicken packaging? So did we. The result? A judge this week denied Perdue’s motion to dismiss the subsequent false advertising lawsuit.

Voice of America has a compelling story out this week noting that “for the first time on record, U.S. per-capita meat consumption has declined for four consecutive years.” In the same vein, BBC News predicts that by 2050, all meat will be bioprinted rather than coming from live animals and has a one-minute 2050 futuristic news segment about it.

For the time being though, if you’d like to get some vegan fast food, Mark Bittman has a good tour in the NY Times of some of the finest.

P.S. Video of the week: Can your dog do the tricks these rats are doing? (Diving for peas is my favorite.)

P.P.S. Okay, it may not be strictly animal-related but let me abuse my editorial power and encourage you to vote for Radiolab, and if you aren’t yet a fan, you should be.

Silly animal-friendly April Fools Day jokes  »

I kind of hate April Fools Day. Some stuff is fun, like when Google or whatever plans something elaborate. But I hate when you are working on a deadline and you get “zany” “emergency” emails and it’s like, OK, can you just tell me if this is real or not so I can get back to work? Yes. I’m a ball of fun. But! I have to admit, some of these animal-centered April Fools are funny. Come on, admit it.

Up top is an ad from ASPCA about their new anti-puppymill campaign. It’s pretty dang cute. Corresponding video:

Don’t worry, cats can join in on the protest as well.

Ug, I hate stores that sell dogs! Monster Pets in Philly does and I hate them. Boycott them! But a lot of pet stores are hip to adoption and don’t sell pups and kitties. If only we could get them to stop selling hamsters and those other little guys! But pups and kitties is a start. 

Vegan-friendly online store Ethical Ocean made a pretty funny site, Unethical Ocean. You get where it’s going but this basketball net offer is just really funny:

It’s all in the details! Like in the FAQ for Warby Parker’s new line Warby Barker: 

Can my dog ride in the car with his head out the window while wearing Warby Barker glasses?

Yes. Each pair is constructed from exceptionally durable materials.

Not an animal org, I know, but this silly page links to HSUS. And besides, DOG-OCLE. 

Other jokes: PETA said they’d release meat-allergy-inducing ticks, Sony had a cute thing, Grubhub’s Kibblehub is kind of hilar, and Care2 had a petition from a cow asking for more visibility on the site.

In crappy April Fools attemps, Whole Foods disappoints with a joke about a cam that promises to let you “watch what your meat eats,” because all animals are “your meat” and isn’t that funny. Um, fuck you. And it appears even the Army has a sense of humor? Too bad they do actually send dogs off to get PTSD or die (the Army may have a sense of humor, but I still don’t!). And wait, is this Ostrich pillow from Fab real? Ug, I hate April Fools Day.

It’s Paul Shapiro’s weekly Animal News You Can Use!  »

Want to read a great AP story about the proponents of anti-whistleblower “ag-gag” bills getting part of their bodies (I’ll let you be the judge) handed to them at a legislative hearing in Nebraska yesterday? Also, the ag-friendly Bakersfield Californian editorial board slammed the supporters of a similar California bill this week, saying how they’re “amazed by the audacity of the cattle industry.”

Good week in statehouses for farm animals, with a New Jersey ag committee passing a bill to ban gestation crates and a Colorado committee doing the same on a bill to ban dairy cow tail-docking. We’ll continue working hard to further advance these bills.

There’s a fascinating story out today about a meat industry front man who admits he created a fake Facebook profile posing as an animal activist in order to criticize HSUS and encourage other animal activists to do the same.

After extensive dialogue with HSUS, Bob Evans is the latest food giant to announce it wants to phase out gestation crates. And the National Pork Board did a survey with promising results about the changing attitudes of pork producers to the gestation crate issue.

Think you’re the only one who finds promise in plant-based products? These billionaires are with you.

Finally, students! If you want “Skinny Bitch” Rory Freedman, VegNews editorial director Elizabeth Castoria, and HSUS’s Kristie Middleton to read your essay, enter HSUS’s Meatless Monday essay contest now!

Video of the week: Justin Timberlake on SNL singing about vegan eating. Words can’t describe how great it is.

Photo of the week: My cats enjoying their catio!

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals!

I’m psyched to let you know that HSUS worked with L.A.’s school system to implement a Meatless Monday program for all L.A. public schools (K-12). Every Monday, all 650,000 meals they serve are now all-vegetarian. It’s my honor to be on CNN HLN tonight discussing this news with the always-wonderful Jane Velez-Mitchell. You can watch the segment here—please share it!

Colorado’s legislature held a hearing this week on a bill to ban the cruel tail-docking of dairy cows. Despite the practice being opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, dairy farmers still shamefully defended the practice at the hearing.

NPR’s “On the Media” had a very worthwhile interview about the meat industry’s efforts to silence whistleblowers by passing laws to ban undercover investigations by HSUS and fellow great animal protection groups. Check it out.

Finally, you may be interested in this op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the horsemeat scandal.

Video of the week: Birds just wanna have fun…

Buy a t-shirt, help animals! They’re dope and available this week only!  »

I totally heart these sweatshirts and tees. It’s the intersection of my love for type, clothes, and animals. The concept behind the shirts is interesting too. This site Sevenly.org runs a fundraiser each week where they sell limited edition (I think) shirts and donate $7 of each sale to the chosen charity of the week. Their goal is to raise money for the charity but also, by making things related to the charity that people can buy and wear, they raise awareness for the cause. And this week, the cause is the Humane Society! So for every shirt sold, seven bucks goes to HSUS. More importantly: you get a cool shirt! I kid, I kid. But looks like you only have until Sunday to buy so you best get on that.

Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay, Paul! Yay, Animals!

The ag industry’s efforts to keep consumers in the dark by suppressing whistleblowers is getting a cold reception by many in the news media.

Indiana’s largest paper (the Indianapolis Star) editorialized this week against the pending state bill intended to criminalize photo-taking a factory farms and slaughter plants, saying it “does a disservice to the public as a whole by blocking the flow of information that may be vital to health and safety.” Indiana’s Herald Times editorialized against it too, calling it a “wrong-headed bill that could step on the First Amendment and make it more difficult to expose wrongdoing.”

The International Business Times had a great piece yesterday on the topic, too. Very important reading.

A new study finds that vegans and vegetarians cause 42% and 28% (respectively) fewer greenhouse gas emissions than non-vegetarians. Also, check out this Seattle Times column on in vitro meat (aka in meatro!), which reports on an Oxford study finding that cultured meat requires “99 percent less land, 96 percent less water, 96 percent less carbon emissions and 45 percent less energy demand,” than raising animals for meat.

Finally, live in Florida? Let’s hang out together tomorrow!

Video of the week: When dove meets cat.

Editorial cartoon of the week: Toles on horsemeat…