Chickens Sue Back, Canada Fumbles, and Cows Are Overheating | Rising Anxieties

Chickens Sue Back, Canada Fumbles, and Cows Are Overheating | Rising Anxieties

[https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/955-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/955-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThis week on Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan digs into a genuinely encouraging legal development (yes, really), some deeply depressing policy news from our neighbors to the north, a dairy industry propaganda machine that apparently involves a live cow, and a livestock industry reminder that “precious cargo” has nothing to do with feelings. The usual cocktail of outrage, dark humor, and the occasional glimmer of hope. * Legal Impact for Chickens sues Foster Farms — the animal law organization leverages California’s Corporations Code to take a major poultry producer to court over documented animal abuse, in a landmark move that could open the door for similar suits * Canada’s $2.1B food strategy ignores plant-based proteins — a first-ever national food security plan goes all-in on animal agriculture and seafood while failing to mention the alternative proteins Canada already leads the world in producing * Dairy industry doubles down on school milk promotion — including a “mobile dairy classroom” featuring a live cow, because apparently the propaganda needs to be hands-on * Cattle heat stress = an industry profit problem — a Meatingplace feature on “heat mitigation” reminds us that shade over feedlot pens only matters when the profits (not the animal) are at risk * Brazil’s antibiotic oversight gap threatens EU poultry exports — Brazilian producers cry paperwork while the EU asks for basic government-level antimicrobial monitoring that Brazil simply doesn’t have We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep955/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support].  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourhenhouse/], Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], Threads [https://www.threads.net/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.bsky.social] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

Wayne Hsiung’s Landmark Animal Rescue Appeal Wins Some, Loses Some: What It Means for the Right to Rescue

[https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ALP-133-3photos-3quotes-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ALP-133-3photos-3quotes-template-360x360.png Animal law attorney and activist Wayne Hsiung joins host Mariann Sullivan along with attorneys Chris Carraway and Steffen Seitz of the University of Denver’s Animal Activist Legal Defense Project [https://law.du.edu/academics/practical-experience/animal-activist-legal-defense-project] to break down the California Court of Appeals decision in Hsiung’s criminal case—a pivotal ruling that overturned two of three trespass convictions stemming from actions at Sunrise Farms and Reichardt Duck Farm, while leaving critical legal questions about the necessity defense unresolved. The group also previews a potential California Supreme Court battle and provides updates on Zoe Rosenberg’s appeal and the Ridglan Farms beagle rescue prosecution in Wisconsin. * Necessity defense left in limbo: The appellate court declined to rule definitively on whether harm to animals can qualify as a “significant evil,” instead defeating the defense on narrow imminence grounds—creating a circular legal standard that punishes activists for both planning too much and failing to exhaust alternatives. * Mistake of law defense wins: The court agreed Wayne was entitled to present evidence that he genuinely believed the necessity doctrine made his actions lawful, a ruling the prosecution is now asking the California Supreme Court to overturn. * First Amendment challenge to trespass statute: A novel argument that a California trespass law is unconstitutionally content-based—because it exempts labor organizers but not animal rights advocates—was poorly addressed by the appellate court and remains a live issue. * Ridglan Farms prosecution underway in Wisconsin: Wayne and co-defendants face four felony counts including burglary and theft connected to the March 2025 rescue of 30 beagles from the notorious research facility; trial is currently set for January 2027. * Dogs as a bridge to broader animal advocacy: Wayne argues that widespread social connection to companion animals—combined with the mainstream visibility of the Ridglan campaign—is creating a meaningful pathway to expanded concern for farmed and laboratory animals across the political spectrum. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Chris Carraway is an attorney and an activist. Before joining the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, he was a lead attorney in the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. There, Chris defended cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to first-degree murder, participated in over 60 jury trials, and litigated cases in the Colorado Court of Appeals and Colorado Supreme Court. Chris graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was president of the student chapters for the National Lawyers Guild and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. Before that, Chris began his involvement in animal rights activism in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina­—doing outreach, defendant and prisoner support, and organizing local campaigns against the selling of foie gras and fur. Witnessing the criminalization of animal rights activism in the 00’s compelled him to go to law school. Chris brings his experience as a defense attorney and his passion for animal rights to the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project. Steffen Seitz is a litigation fellow for the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, where he represents animal advocates and whistleblowers in a variety of proceedings and conducts academic research. Steffen graduated from Yale Law School in May 2023. As a law student, Steffen was a member of the Yale Animal Law Society and a Law Ethics and Animal Program Student Fellow. He also worked as a legal extern on animal activist cases, particularly those involving the right to rescue. Steffen is interested in criminal law, animal law, social movements, and their intersections. Wayne Hsiung is an animal rights lawyer, co-founder of The Simple Heart Initiative and Direct Action Everywhere, and former faculty member at Northwestern School of Law. He has served as lead counsel—and sometimes defendant—in five “right to rescue” trials, investigated and rescued animals from factory farms and slaughterhouses globally, and published on animal law in the Harvard Law Review and University of Pennsylvania Law Review. His work has been covered by The New York Times, WIRED, ABC’s Nightline, and The Ezra Klein Show. Follow his work at simpleheart.org [http://simpleheart.org/]. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/alp133/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. ********** [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.pngYou can listen to the Animal Law Podcast directly on our website (at the top of this page) or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts [http://bit.ly/AnimalLawPodcast], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], or your favorite podcatcher. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would consider making a donation [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support] or becoming a member of our flock [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support] (especially if you’re a regular listener). Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Don’t forget to also listen to the award-winning,  weekly signature OHH podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/podcast] — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

The Hen Report: “Depending on Who You Ask” | NAMs, Animal-Free Science & the Future of Lab Research

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan welcome flock member and postdoctoral researcher Neha Nataraj from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Neha attended the Johns Hopkins/PCRM Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science — a free, four-day conference focused on reducing and replacing animal use in biomedical research and toxicology — and shares what she learned about the cutting-edge science, the people driving it, and the complex realities of working toward a world with fewer animals in labs. * Non-animal methods (NAMs) explained: Neha breaks down the three main categories of new approach methodologies — in vitro (cell cultures, organoids, organ-on-a-chip), in chemico (molecular analysis), and in silico (AI and computer modeling) — and where each stands in replacing animal testing. * Federal momentum for animal-free science: The NIH’s newly created Office of Research Innovation Validation and Application (ORIVA) signals growing government investment in NAMs, with a goal of fully replacing animals in preclinical drug testing — though full replacement in basic biomedical research remains a longer-term challenge. * The human side of animal research: A standout panel featuring Maddie Krasno (Executive Director, Justify), Madhu Nag, MBS, PhD (CSO, inSphero), and Alexis Feidler, MS (Neuroscience PhD candidate, University of Rochester). explored the emotional toll animal research takes on scientists, and how some have redirected entire careers toward humane alternatives. * PCRM’s outsized impact: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine was highlighted as a key driver of systemic change, including securing the FDA’s I-STAND program, which allocates dedicated funding for non-animal methods. * Upcoming documentary — “The New Gold Standard”: A brand-new film about cutting-edge science replacing animal testing had its second-ever screening at the conference; watch for its release on PBS this fall. [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/954-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/954-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png RESOURCES * * * * * 2026 Summer Immersion on Innovative Approaches in Science [https://www.pcrm.org/ethical-science/summer-immersion] * Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing [https://caat.publichealth.jhu.edu/] * Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine [https://www.pcrm.org/] * Current Affairs VOL. 10, ISSUE 4 [https://www.currentaffairs.org/hubfs/Issues/CurrentAffairs-55.pdf?hsLang=en] * Losing Our Cruelty [https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/sangamithra-iyer-governing-bodies-memoir-confluence-watershed-interview/] *  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep954/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support]. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.org] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

Eggs, Ballots, and Manure Pits: Animal Agriculture’s Worst Week (Again) | Rising Anxieties

[https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/953-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/953-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngIn this episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan tears through the week’s most revealing industry news — from egg producers finally grasping that animal advocates want them gone, to Oregon’s audacious PEACE Act inching toward the ballot, to the toxic gas hazards quietly killing dairy workers. She also covers the Cargill lockout rocking Colorado’s beef industry, the federal government’s creative reinterpretation of H-2A visa law to hand dairy farms a captive labor force, and a truly stunning Memorial Day message from the National Beef Association that somehow forgot what Memorial Day is actually for. * PETA vs. Vital Farms: PETA bought stock and asked a pointed question at the shareholder meeting — Vital Farms declined to answer, proving the point better than any answer could have * Oregon’s PEACE Act: The ballot measure to criminalize ranching, hunting, and fishing has enough signatures; even its own organizers aren’t betting on a win — they just want people talking * Manure gas is killing workers: Cornell published a safety guide for toxic gases on dairy farms, because hydrogen sulfide and ammonia exposure is apparently still treated as a scheduling problem * Cargill lockout in Colorado: 1,700+ workers locked out for weeks, with new allegations of antitrust collusion on labor rates — welcome to Big Meat * H-2A visas for dairy: The Department of Homeland Security quietly opened the door for dairy farms to use guest worker visas, creating exactly the captive, rightless workforce the industry has always wanted We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep953/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support].  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourhenhouse/], Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], Threads [https://www.threads.net/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.bsky.social] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

Can Finance Activism End Factory Farming? AI, Divestment, and Animal Advocacy with Richie Richardson

This episode of the Our Hen House interview features Thomas “Richie” Manandhar Richardson — AI Impact Director at Vegan Hacktivists and former Director of Research at Bryant Research — in a wide-ranging conversation about two urgent frontiers for the animal movement: financial activism targeting factory farming and the growing role of artificial intelligence in animal advocacy. Richie breaks down why divestment campaigns largely fail to cut off funding for factory farming (and the rare exceptions where they can work), how international development banks in the Global South represent a more promising pressure point, and what it means to stigmatize an industry financially— the way coal has been stigmatized. He then shifts to AI, covering how animal organizations can leverage tools like ChatGPT and Claude for research, communications, and even building software — and why those who are producing pro-animal content online may literally be shaping the values of the next generation of AI models. * Financial activism and its limits — Divestment campaigns rarely cut off funding because capital simply flows elsewhere; Richie cites research suggesting 85% of US wealth would need to divest from fossil fuels before companies feel real impact, with similar dynamics in factory farming. * Where financial pressure can work — International development banks (like the World Bank’s IFC) are a more viable target in lower- and middle-income countries, because if they cancel a loan, no commercial bank typically steps in — a tactic that successfully blocked a $200 million loan to Brazilian beef giant Marfrig. * Stigmatizing factory farming as a risky investment — Framing factory farming risks (disease outbreaks, insurance costs, stranded assets) in financial terms — as outlets like FAIRR and the Financial Times already do — can shift how investors perceive the industry over the long term, similar to what happened with coal. * AI as a force multiplier for animal advocates — AI tools can help under-resourced organizations and grassroots activists produce research, build websites, analyze data, and run campaigns at a scale previously impossible; Vegan Hacktivists’ free Amplify for Animals AI course is returning soon. * Shaping the AI models of the future — Publishing pro-animal content on blogs, Substacks, and YouTube may influence how future AI models are trained, and organizations like Sentient Futures and CAML are actively working with AI labs to build benchmarks that increase AI compassion toward animals. ABOUT OUR GUEST [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/952-OHH-quote-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/952-OHH-quote-template-360x360.png Thomas Manandhar-Richardson, also known as Richie, is the AI Impact Director at Vegan Hacktivists. There, he builds AI automations and provides AI education and consulting for organizations to help them have more impact for animals. Previously, he was the Director of Research at Bryant Research, where he conducted research primarily on the economics and finance of factory farming, as well as food security and alternative proteins. * Bryant Research [https://bryantresearch.co.uk/] * Vegan Hacktivists [https://veganhacktivists.org/] * Stop Financing Factory Farming [https://stopfinancingfactoryfarming.com/] * Bank for Nature [https://bankfornature.org/] * Richie’s Substack [https://richiemanandhar.substack.com/] _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support]. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse/videos], or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourhenhouse/], Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], Threads [https://www.threads.net/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.bsky.social] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]