Ag-Gag UPDATE: Shedding Light on the Truth

smcdonaldLegal Advocacy, News, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

The 2015 legislation session is now well underway in many states, and with this brings the next desperate round of Ag-Gag bill attempts. In fact, Washington state just introduced such a bill  – it aims to criminalize undercover recordings on factory farms and slaughterhouses, similar in nature to laws previously passed in Utah, Idaho, and North Dakota. It’s no wonder that …

Meatless Monday Momentum: NYC Council Introduces Resolution!

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The New York City Council just took a momentous step that could make the Big Apple the next – and the largest – city in the US  to officially embrace and endorse Meatless Monday. Last Thursday, on the steps of City Hall, over 50 people rallied in support of this healthy-eating initiative, including Jane Velez-Mitchell and NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal who …

Why Saying ‘Bird-Brain’ is Actually a Compliment

smcdonaldAnimals, News Leave a Comment

Chickens sneeze! But you knew that, right? You probably saw the YouTube video that went viral over the holidays – but there is so much more to chickens than just their obvious adorableness. Did you know chickens can do math? They might not “scratch three times” when you ask them what 2+1 is, but they are capable of mathematical reasoning …

No Whey: All Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies Are Now Vegan!

smcdonaldVeg Eating 4 Comments

As the Girls Scout’s say: Be prepared!  Are you ready  for the 2015 cookie season?  Here’s what you need to know: the latest news is that all of their Thin Mint cookies are now vegan! Last March, we shared the news about how Girl Scout cookies were starting to head down the vegan path: half the Thin Mints on the …

foie gras

Disaster for Ducks: Federal Court Overturns CA’s Foie Gras Sales Ban

smcdonaldAnimals, Legal Advocacy, News Leave a Comment

In a disappointing turn of events yesterday, a federal court struck down a California law that prohibits the sale of foie gras, a cruelty-laden product made from the diseased livers of ducks and geese. This decision, which will hopefully be appealed by the state, means it can once again be sold in California. California’s ban went into effect in 2012 and …

meat industry

Meat Industry Balks At Proposed Dietary Guidelines

smcdonaldAnimals, Environment, Health, Legal Advocacy, News, Veg Eating 3 Comments

Meat industry balks at proposed dietary guidelines Last week, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued its proposed nutrition policy for 2015 that has the meat industry crying foul — and The Washington Post calls it the “meat industry’s worse nightmare.” The current proposal, which will soon re-open for public comments, recommends that Americans eat more fruits and vegetables while …

A New Year Means a New Start for Millions of Animals in California

smcdonaldAnimals, Legal Advocacy, News Leave a Comment

Starting January 1, 2015,  millions of farmed animals being raised in California can no longer be intensively confined inside tiny barren cages or crates, as mandated by law.  Thanks to “Prop 2” – a history-making ballot measure overwhelmingly passed by California voters in 2008 under the official title of “The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act” – egg-laying hens, pregnant pigs, …

New Investigation: Slaughterhouse Horrors for Hens

smcdonaldAnimals, Investigations, News, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Behind nearly every  “incredible edible” egg sold in grocery stores today is a hen so intensively confined inside a barren wire battery cage, she can barely even move. With just 67 square inches of floor space on which to live – about the size of an iPad – she can’t even flap her wings, let alone nest, perch, dust bathe, …