An international animal right's group is calling on the U.S. restaurant chain industry to reduce or eliminate the use of gestation crates for livestock and poultry grown for meat.
Since 2002, 11 states have restricted or banned gestation crates but Utah is not among them. Pork producers keep sows in these cramped crates throughout their lives, artificially impregnate them and take away their young to keep up with the demand for meat.
As of December 2021, Utah farms accounted for just over 1% of the total U.S. hog inventory, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
Devon Dear, institutional outreach manager for the group Animal Equality, said improvements have been made, but more needs to be done.
"We've seen some really big players in this industry move away from crates; McDonald's, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, Chipotle, Shake Shack, Panera Bread," Dear outlined. "These companies have significantly reduced or eliminated crates from their supply chain, so we know it can be done successfully."
Dear added around 60% of pigs in the U.S. are crated for their entire pregnancies and will spend, on average, 74% of their lives in crates. The report lists corporations like Denny's, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin' and KFC among others as not being aggressive enough in reducing their crate usage. Dear hopes the Farm Bill currently being debated in Congress can help advance the issue.
Dear argued despite what is happening with state and national-level legislative efforts, companies have what she called "a corporate responsibility," to treat animals in their supply chain humanely. She explained the use of crates among farming operations gained popularity in the 80s and 90s in an effort to maximize profits and efficiency.
She emphasized the practice comes with a hefty price tag, especially for the animals.
"When you have this many animals in one place, you're getting really high concentrations of feces. You're having all the environmental impacts of this," Dear pointed out. "Pigs produce a ton of waste and this has to be disposed of properly to not make nearby communities sick. The pigs in these barns are in distress and they are either, screaming or completely silent, neither which is a natural behavior."
Dear added as a result of the pigs being in crates, they experience much higher levels of stress which then translates to more antibiotic use and can lead to issues with run off into ground and surface water. One of the largest pork producers, Smithfield, which has operations in Utah and has confronted legal challenges, has stated they are phasing out the use of gestation crates.
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Indiana's Natural Resources Commission will decide this week whether to allow bobcat trapping, giving Hoosiers one last chance to weigh in.
The meeting will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis and will determine whether the state moves forward with a plan to permit bobcat trapping in 40 southern Indiana counties next fall.
Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director of the group Humane World for Animals, stressed Hoosier voices are critical at the meeting.
"We really want folks to show up and voice their opposition to this proposal," Chapman emphasized. "Indiana's bobcats are still recovering, and we need more data on what the actual numbers and populations are for bobcats in Indiana."
Opponents said the plan is premature. The Department of Natural Resources has released only a siting map, not a full study, raising concerns the species remains vulnerable. Humane World Animals urged residents to demand a zero quota, arguing the proposal prioritizes trappers over conservation.
The plan allows trappers to capture up to 250 bobcats, with each trapper limited to one and required to obtain a special license. Chapman warned trappers will kill bobcats at a time when Indiana must prevent past population declines rather than risk undoing decades of recovery.
"While the commission can legally set a quota of zero, it is instead proposed allowing 250 bobcats to be barbarically trapped, bludgeoned, strangled, stomped or shot," Chapman contended. "This is why we need Hoosiers to speak up at the Natural Resources Commission meeting."
Conservationists stressed live bobcats generate more economic benefits through tourism than trapping ever could. They urged Hoosiers to turn out in force Tuesday and speak before the commission makes its final decision.
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By Gabriella Sotelo for Sentient.
Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration
As egg prices continue to skyrocket across the United States, some consumers are looking for alternative ways to secure affordable eggs, including turning to their backyard. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, penned a commentary outlining her plan to help "lower egg prices." Among her proposals - such as vaccinating chickens and reassessing California's Proposition 12, which tightened animal welfare laws - there was also a nod to raising backyard chickens.
In her commentary, Rollins writes that part of the plan is "to make it easier for families to raise backyard chickens." There was no expansion on this point, however, outside of a sentence in the USDA release of the plan promising to "minimize burdens on individual farmers and consumers who harvest homegrown eggs." A spate of articles also suggests the notion is picking up steam. Yet even though the idea may seem like a potential solution to rising egg prices, research suggests that keeping chickens for eggs may just bring the risks of avian flu to your backyard. In short, because your backyard is not protected from wild birds.
"The more birds that you have, especially when they kind of overlap with waterfowl habitat, for example, the increased risk you're going to have [of bird flu]," Maurice Pitesky, associate professor and expert in poultry disease modeling at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, tells Sentient.
The increased risk applies to industrial egg operations. Nearly 99 percent of farm animals in the U.S. are raised on factory farms - operations where animals are crowded together, often in unsanitary conditions. These settings are breeding grounds for diseases like bird flu, as the density and poor care make it easy for viruses to spread quickly. But it's not just factory farms that are at risk. In the past year, bird flu outbreaks have made headlines across the United States, and backyard chickens have not been immune to its reach.
Backyard Flocks Impacted
Over the last 30 days, 51 backyard flocks across the U.S. have confirmed cases of avian influenza, compared to 59 cases in commercial operations, as of March 3. While the number of affected backyard flocks is slightly lower overall, it's important to remember that the risk to smaller, home-raised flocks remains significant, primarily because the disease is often spread through wild birds - including their droppings and saliva - who can easily get to a backyard flock.
Wyoming recently reported its first human case of bird flu, which is believed to have been contracted from exposure to a backyard flock. The first severe case of avian flu in the U.S. occurred in December 2024 in Louisiana, where it was determined that the person had been exposed to sick and dead birds from a backyard flock. This person also became the first person in the U.S to die from the virus.
"This case underscores that, in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure," the Center for Disease Control has stated about this case.
Bird flu can spread to people through various routes in a backyard farm, according to the CDC, including direct contact with infected birds, their droppings and contaminated equipment.
The Spread: Wild Birds and Backyard Flocks
It's tempting to assume that backyard chickens are safer from bird flu than large commercial farms due to their smaller flock size and less crowded living conditions. But this assumption overlooks the critical role of wild birds in spreading the virus.
The virus is frequently carried by wild birds, many of which are migrating across the country. For backyard chicken keepers, this poses a serious risk, as wild birds can easily come into contact with their flocks, potentially bringing the virus with them.
Benjamin Anderson, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, told Sentient in an email that wild birds, particularly ducks and geese, are the main carriers that can introduce the flu into backyard flocks. Outbreaks are also more concentrated along migratory bird flyways, Anderson noted, with four major routes across the U.S.
A 2021 study on avian flu transmission pathways found that flocks near or in contact with waterfowl and migratory birds are at a higher risk of infection. Although the study primarily focuses on commercial farms, its insights are also relevant to backyard operations - in essence, the researchers found that the virus can spread more widely when chickens aren't properly isolated from these outside threats. Infected birds can release the virus through their saliva and feces - in other words, exposure doesn't require direct contact with a backyard chicken.
Though backyard chickens are often not as crowded together as chickens raised commercially, birds raised in backyards are vulnerable to bird flu thanks to the lack of strict biosecurity regulations. Unlike commercial farms, which are at least required to follow certain guidelines to prevent outbreaks (such as regular testing and isolating infected animals), there is no oversight or enforcement for smaller, home-raised flocks.
With backyard bird flocks, says Pitesky, "their biosecurity on average is not ideal." There are a number of reasons why that can be the case, including a lack of "adequate fencing." It can even be as simple as the hobbyist may be pressed for time. "People have lives," says Pitesky. To keep backyard chickens safe, Pitesky says, "it takes some time and energy and money."
Backyard chicken keepers may not be aware of the measures they should take to minimize risk of exposure. A 2024 survey study in the UK of 1,550 poultry keepers found that not all backyard poultry owners were following biosecurity measures mandated by the government. The researchers found that some poultry keepers were unaware of what was required of them or faced barriers such as expenses, fewer carers for the birds and other welfare concerns.
The CDC has issued guidelines for backyard chicken owners to follow, such as restricting human access to their chickens, keeping them in enclosed spaces and minimizing exposure to wild birds. But if backyard chicken keepers do not implement these protocols effectively, the birds are left exposed to the virus.
Should You Raise Backyard Chickens During a Bird Flu Outbreak?
Anecdotally at least, Anderson has found that more people are interested in having backyard chickens these days, especially with high egg prices. And though both Anderson and Pitesky see the appeal of having backyard flocks, they also point to the risk associated with keeping them.
It's crucial to understand that keeping backyard chickens during an outbreak requires significant research, preparation and strict adherence to CDC guidelines. The CDC recommends wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling sick or dead birds, cleaning and disinfecting contaminated areas and avoiding stirring up dust or bird waste that may spread the virus. In an email to Sentient, Anderson writes "people should take necessary steps to learn how to raise poultry safely and according to local and state rules."
However, this guidance quickly becomes complicated - some infected birds (especially those that are infected with a low pathogenic strain of bird flu) may not show symptoms. This strain can then mutate into the highly pathogenic version. As a result, flock owners may not realize they need PPE or take proper measures when dealing with asymptomatic birds. They may end up spreading the virus unwittingly.
The Bottom Line
Though the current risk of contracting bird flu remains low for most of the public, the middle of a bird flu outbreak may not be the best time to start keeping backyard chickens. It may sound appealing to be able to source "free" eggs from your backyard, but the reality is that keeping backyard chickens safe from bird flu requires time and money. And ultimately, raising chickens in a backyard doesn't eliminate the risk of spreading the virus, and could even exacerbate the problem if you don't take the proper precautions recommended by the CDC.
As for Secretary Rollins' plan to make raising backyard chickens easier for homeowners, the details remain unclear. Sentient reached out to the USDA for more information on how her plan addresses these concerns, but has yet to receive a response.
Gabriella Sotelo wrote this article for Sentient.
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A tragic case of neglect that claimed the life of a senior dog in 2021 is now driving change in Michigan, as lawmakers recently introduced "Buddy's Law" to protect animals. The Bipartisan bills aim to close a loophole that hinders authorities from rescuing animals stranded in extreme weather without access to adequate shelter. The bills stalled last year.
Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, reintroduced the legislation last week, alongside Republican Rep. Joseph Aragona, R-Clinton Township and Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township. The effort gained momentum after petitions from citizens sharing the story of Buddy, who froze to death after being left in the cold.
"If we can pass on something like this, this will go a long way, allowing our animal control and humane organizations, as well as our law enforcement, to get those dogs inside," Tsernoglou said.
Adequate shelter for dogs must be weatherproof, insulated and elevated to protect against the elements, while allowing enough space for comfort and movement. "Buddy's law" is now in the Judiciary Committee for review.
The bills expand the current definition of "shelter" to include "insulation and protection from the cold and damp." Tsernoglou stresses that she and her colleagues carefully designed the legislation to empower authorities to take action when needed.
"Certain standards have to be met," Tsernoglou said. "So, I mean these were things that we worked on with various humane organizations, as well as animal control officers to make sure that we were putting the right language in there."
Michigan residents are encouraged to report suspected animal abuse or neglect to local authorities or animal welfare organizations.
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