Animal Agriculture Publications Cover Welfare

The number of strides made for animal rights and welfare—such as companies banning the use of gestation crates, the banning of foie gras in California—have increased sharply in the last few years, and an unexpected group has taken notice: animal-agriculture journalists. As noted by the blog Counting Animals, mentions of animal-protection activists in agricultural trade publications (such as the weekly industry newspaper Feedstuffs) have increased dramatically since 2004. The two most-mentioned individuals are Humane Society of the United States President and CEO Wayne Pacelle and HSUS Vice President of Farm Animal Protection Paul Shapiro. HSUS has been instrumental in a number of landmark welfare initiatives, such as California’s 2008 Proposition 2.