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McGill University Announces Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence

McGill University and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) have teamed up to establish the Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E). The five-year, five-million-dollar project will be funded by a grant from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alliance and PROMPT, fiduciary of the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Innovation, with participation from many companies in the dairy industry. The chair will focus on the use of artificial intelligence and the internet of things to detect changes in cow welfare and longevity before visible signs emerge. WELL-E's research will help Canadian dairy producers improve and extend the lives of their livestock, as well as address the economic, social and environmental sustainability of dairy farming.

North Carolina Bill Would Phase Out Manure Lagoons and Require Minimum Standards of Confinement for Farmed Animals

North Carolina House Bill 659 would phase out the use of manure lagoons on hog farms by September 1, 2027, would direct the Board of Agriculture to establish “minimum humane standards for cows, poultry, and swine,” and would impose criminal liability on farms that violate minimum humane standards effective January 1, 2024. The bill has been referred to the Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee.

United Kingdom Government Invests £12 Million in Cellular Agriculture and Cultivated Meat

The United Kingdom (UK) government is investing £12 million in the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), a research center focused on developing sustainable food production methods. CARMA will investigate precision fermentation and sustainable palm oil production, as well as look into scaling up the production of cultivated meat. The project will involve researchers from multiple UK universities and will run for seven years. CARMA is the biggest UK government investment in sustainable proteins to date.

Explosion Kills More than 18,000 Cows at Texas Dairy Farm

More than 18,000 cows died in a fire following an explosion at the South Fork Dairy Farm in Dimmit, Texas. It is the largest fire impacting cattle in Texas history and the cause is still under investigation. In 2019, Texas authorized the facility to more than double the number of cattle on-site from 11,500 to 32,000, and to increase its manure production by more than 50%. This follows the deaths of 10,000 pigs who were killed in a fire this February in Canada.

Iowa Bill Would Allocate Funds for Expansion of Dairy Operations

Iowa House File 700 would establish a “dairy innovation fund” to provide financial assistance for the expansion of milk plants, expansion of mobile dairy processing units, and rental of equipment and technology necessary to expand dairy processing capacity. The bill first was referred to the House Committee on Appropriations and passed the House on April 13, 2023, by a vote of 98–1. It now has been referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Italy Proposes Ban on Cultivated Meat

The Italian government has proposed a bill that would prohibit the sale of cultivated meat and other synthetic foods, highlighting a desire to promote Italian food heritage and culture. Under the new bill, synthetic foods produced from animal cells, lab produced fish and synthetic milk would be banned, with fines of up to €60,000 for any violations.

Updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle Released

The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) have released an updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle, replacing the previous 2009 Code. The Code provides guidance for the care and treatment of dairy cattle, including in relation to nutrition, housing, disease and injury prevention, pain control, and more. The updated Code will be come into effect on April 1st, 2024.

Center for Food Safety Alleges that New York Dairy Farm Has Been Illegally Dumping Solid and Liquid Animal Manure into Waters of the U.S. for More than Five Years

The Center for Food Safety sued Wood Farms, LLC, a New York dairy producer, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, alleging that for more than five years the facility has violated the Clean Water Act by discharging animal waste and other pollutants into waters of the United States in violation of its general discharge permit. Plaintiff is seeking declaratory judgment, injunctive relief, and civil penalties.

CURD Act Would Restrict Use of “Natural Cheese” Labels to Certain Dairy Products

The “Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions (CURD) Act” would amend the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define the term “natural cheese” as cheese that is produced from animal milk or certain dairy ingredients and is produced in accordance with established cheese-making standards. The bill was introduced by Representatives Mike Gallagher, Jim Costa, Bryan Steil, Angie Craig, Glenn Grothman, Jimmy Panetta, and Scott Fitzgerald. The bill has not yet been assigned a number or referred to a committee.

Academic Thesis Examines Social Phenomenon of Farm Occupations

Annie Bernatchez, “Animal Justice Citizen Activism and the Politics of Sight“ (PhD Thesis, School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, 2023).

Abstract: This thesis examines the social phenomenon of farm occupations enacted by Animal Justice Citizen Activists (AJCAs). Farm occupations are a strategy of civil disobedience that make visible the animal violence behind the scenes in the animal-industrial complex; they enact a politics of sight that receives substantial pushback. Informed by two bodies of literature, Critical Animal Studies and Social Movements Studies, the thesis focuses on the socio-political context and on the emotional dimension of undertaking a politics of sight. An analysis of the mainstream media and provincial governments representations of four Canadian farm occupations and the legislative response in two provinces where ag-gag laws have been passed reveals a general tendency of political suppression. That is, representations of farm occupations tend to deprecate the politics of sight and eschew its goal of achieving full visibility of animal violence on farms. Moreover, while investigating the politics of sight with the analytical lens of critical substantivism, where farm occupations are seen as an ethico-political practice, further perils become visible, including the silencing of the practice of giving voice to animals, but also the societal disposition towards misunderstanding and being indifferent to the suffering of animals on farms. In addition to these structural challenges of making visible what is hidden in plain sight, the analysis of in-depth interviews with 15 AJCAs across Canada reveals an idiosyncratic, yet collective, form of emotionality manageable through reflexivity, when activists are confronted with and bear witness to the reality of animal violence in their efforts to enact a politics of sight. […] This thesis provides a critical reflection on the structural and emotional dynamics of performing a politics of sight in the context of Animal Justice activism.