Earlier this year, we contributed to the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Animal Law, penning the entry on “Farmed Animals and US Law” alongside our board member and former Executive Director, Cheryl Leahy and Senior Director of Legal Advocacy, Piper Hoffman. This isn’t your typical academic exercise.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: While federal laws like the Twenty-Eight Hour Law have existed since 1873!, they exclude 90% of farmed animals. Our encyclopedia entry doesn’t just document this—it maps the legal pathways forward.
The real behind-the-scenes story? Our team has personally witnessed these legal violations during our investigations. We’ve submitted evidence. We’ve pushed for enforcement. And when the system failed to act, we documented everything—creating the precedent that future advocates will build upon.
This encyclopedia entry represents something bigger: We’re not waiting for the law to catch up. We’re actively shaping it. Every investigation we conduct, every legal brief we file, every scholarly contribution we make—it’s all part of dismantling a system that treats sentient beings as commodities.
The future of animal law isn’t just being decided in courtrooms. It’s being written, literally, by advocates who refuse to accept “that’s how it’s always been done” as an answer.