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Animal News You Can Use: The meat industry can’t stop whining

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The meat industry’s leadership seems to be in a panic over how prevalent the term “factory farming” is these days. My coworker Matt Prescott takes them to task in a new Washington Post commentary, explaining that meat production is in fact far more factory than farm, and that it was the industry itself which helped coined the language used to describe these inhumane places.

They’re also complaining about California’s historic and humane law banning foie gras, even calling for the Supreme Court to nullify that law. One of them got into the ring with me this week on NPR’s Los Angeles affiliate to debate the issue. You can listen to our debate here, and read more about it in the LA Times.

What else do they complain about? The fact that some countries are concerned about American chicken products being soaked in chlorine. I discuss the issue in my new commentary, “Got Chlorine? Your Chicken Might.”

Finally, they love to complain about all the studies showing that eating less meat improves health. Well, the title of an article in Men’s Journal this week won’t make them happy: “Go Vegetarian, Live Longer.”

Have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. Video of the week: Think we’re the only species that likes to surf? Check out these black swans!

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slothville: Last month I travelled to Panama to make a short…

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slothville:

Last month I travelled to Panama to make a short film for National Geographic about a sloth rescue organisation called APPC. The film is now ready and I’m really pleased with the result. As well as all the usual gorgeous baby sloths it shows a less cuddly side to adult sloths, which serves as a reminder why they should never be kept as pets.

Wherever you are in the world right now, it is 100 percent time for a sloth break. Adults! Babies! Dramatic rescues from foreign environs! Emotional releases back into the wild! It has absolutely everything you want in a sloth documentary, I’ve watched it three times and I can’t get enough.

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Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use: Meat-free butchers?

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I’m glad to have an op-ed in Kentucky’s largest paper today about the pork industry’s sordid track record on animal cruelty.

There’s some promising news, however: Agribusiness giant Cargill put the writing on the wall quite clearly this week: Gestation crates have no future in the pork industry. The company is moving to group sow housing in its own operations by next year and will require its contractors to do the same by 2017.

And in some other promising news, butcher shops seem to be the latest companies getting on the meat-free trend. One in Connecticut is now praising Meatless Monday and closing in its honor, while one in Toronto is actually entirely meat-free. Yep, a vegetarian butcher shop.

P.S. Video of the week: Kitten jam!

P.P.S. I hope to see you at Taking Action for Animals in D.C at the end of this month; it’s going to rock!.

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Hey, Bay Area! What are you doing tomorrow? Going to the House…

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Hey, Bay Area! What are you doing tomorrow? Going to the House Rabbit Society adoption event and vegan bake sale, is what!

Get yourself to the Rabbit Center at 148 Broadway in Richmond from 1 to 5 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 31, to meet some delightful buns, buy vegan baked goods, and celebrate the family Leporidae.

This event not only benefits a truly wonderful rabbit welfare organization, but it’s part of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. So get out to Richmond and buy some sticky buns for the bunnies!