Drawing the Line on Factory Farms: Policy Approaches to Industrial Agriculture

Our Hen House presents an eye-opening conversation about the growing movement to limit factory farming through state legislation, focusing on New York’s efforts while exploring the broader national implications. This episode explores how advocates are working to address the environmental devastation and animal suffering caused by industrial animal agriculture through policy change.

This episode explores:

• The details of New York’s proposed legislation to ban new large-scale factory farms and its potential impact on the dairy industry
• How agricultural policy has shifted to favor massive industrial operations at the expense of smaller, independent farms
• The connection between factory farms, climate change, and the troubling rise of “biogas” as a false climate solution
• How coalitions of environmental, animal welfare, and community groups are finding success in states like Oregon
• The political challenges of regulating factory farms and strategies for building public awareness about these issues

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the Upper West Side and parts of Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. She is a lifelong resident of the Upper West Side and serves as Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee. Since taking office in 2006, Assemblymember Rosenthal has passed more than 200 laws that have helped to improve the lives of all New York State residents. Rosenthal is a leading advocate for animal welfare, having passed the first-in-the-nation ban on cat declawing, ending the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores and prohibiting the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. She has also passed laws protecting survivors of domestic violence, preserving affordable housing, strengthening women’s rights, environmental protection, data privacy and more.

Alex Beauchamp is the Northern Region Director with the national advocacy organization Food & Water Watch. He is based in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Krissy Kasserman is the Factory Farm Organizing Director with the national advocacy organization Food & Water Watch. She is based in Pender County, North Carolina.

We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview.

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