NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Chicken Council Wants To Speed Up Slaughter, Activists Work To Reverse Iowa Ag Gag & More – October 9-16, 2017

By Leslie Goldberg

CALIFORNIA BANS THE SALE OF NON-RESCUE ANIMALS IN STORES

Possibly the biggest news in Animal Rights this week is the state of California banning the sale of non-rescued dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. Breeders will still be able to sell the animals, just not in stores. While, of course, we’d like to see a total ban of puppy mills, etc., this does make a dent in breeders’ profitability.  (Huffington Post)

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-pet-store-ban-puppies-kittens-cats-dogs-rabbits_us_59e216b2e4b0a52aca183fa3

SPEEDING UP CHICKEN SLAUGHTER

Politico reports that the National Chicken Council has petitioned the USDA to allow poultry slaughterhouses to increase the speeds of some processing lines to more than the current 140-chickens-per-minute. The current speeds are already dangerous, creating health and safety risks for workers but also the risk of birds being boiled alive. Chickens may miss the mechanical knife and end up getting dumped into vats of boiling water alive, suffering horrifically painful deaths. This change could also increase the risk for consumers who may end up eating meat from diseased animals who missed detection.  (Politico, Newsweek)

http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-agriculture/2017/09/11/poultry-industry-asks-for-line-speed-increases-222206

BROOKLYN KIDS VOTE FOR VEGANISM

Little kids step up. The young students at Bergen Elementary in Brooklyn voted for an all plant-based menu at their school. Bergen is Brooklyn’s first and New York’s third vegetarian public school. “My students have expressed an interest in healthier eating and the school gave them the option to choose this menu.” said the school’s principal, Arlene Ramos. “I’m proud of their decision.”  (Grub Street)

http://www.grubstreet.com/2017/10/all-vegetarian-school-in-brooklyn.html

WILDLIFE GROUPS ARE WORKING TO GET A BAN ON MOUNTAIN LION HUNTING ON THE BALLOT IN ARIZONA

The measure will ban the killing of mountain lions, bobcats and other large cats except in cases where they represent a danger to humans and/or livestock. Mountain lions are often hunted in Arizona for just their heads or their skins and this ban aims to stop that. Activists are currently gathering voter signatures. California banned mountain lion hunting in 1990. (US News and World Report, AP)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arizona/articles/2017-09-27/activists-seek-ban-on-sport-hunting-of-arizona-big-cats

YOU ARE NEXT, IOWA

Animal rights groups and free speech groups such as PETA and the ACLU have filed suit against the state of Iowa’s 2012 ag gag rule. The rule outlaws activists lying to get jobs in animal enterprises and taking photographs and shooting video. The groups argue that the statute violates Constitutional free speech and equal protection rights. This lawsuit doesn’t address “open rescue.”  Similar ag gag rules have been struck down in federal court in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. (Iowa Public Radio)

http://iowapublicradio.org/post/animal-rights-free-speech-groups-file-lawsuit-challenging-iowas-ag-whistleblower-law - stream/0