In recent months, slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities have become hotbeds for coronavirus transmission among employees. These facilities require employees to work in close proximity to one another and employees have relayed to the public that many employers have not provided adequate PPE or sick leave policies to protect them as they continue working throughout the pandemic. Meat processing plants have seen widespread COVID-19 infections and fatalities.

As the crisis worsens, and meat companies are failing to adequately take actions to protect employees, Governor Whitmer of Michigan is one of the few government officials who has imposed regulations to protect employees in meat processing plants. Governor Whitmer outlined 10 requirements for these facilities, including offering sick leave policies for employees who are sick, providing adequate face coverings and physical dividers, and reducing or modifying production schedules to prevent overcrowding inside these facilities. Unlike the Trump administration, which has focused on preserving the meat supply at all costs by requiring meat processing plants to stay open, Michigan is attempting to prioritize the health and safety of workers in the meat supply chain. 

Read more here.

North Carolina regulators have postponed implementing new water quality regulations for industrial hog farms in North Carolina, a state with 9 million pigs. The regulations should have gone into effect in October 2019, but will be postponed at least until October 2020. The NC Department of Environmental Quality devised a set of rules, after holding public hearings and receiving public input, that would revise permit guidelines for hog, cattle, and poultry corporations in North Carolina. Notably, the guidelines would require the hog farms with manure lagoons located within the 100-year floodplain to improve their water management systems and install monitoring wells. With the rise of extreme storms hitting North Carolina, hog farms have flooded and sent their manure and the bodies of drowned pigs into local waterways and private property, creating a public health and environmental epidemic. 

Read more about these guidelines here and more about the environmental impacts of the hog industry during extreme storms here.

A recent study conducted at Stanford University found that climate change has widened the wealth gap between nations. Poor countries’ economies are worsening and some wealthier countries’ economies are benefiting from climate change. The study found, for example, that Nigeria is 29% poorer from the impacts of climate change, whereas Norway is 34% wealthier. According to Marshall Burke, co-author of the study and Assistant Professor at Stanford, “The historical data clearly show that crops are more productive, people are healthier and we are more productive at work when temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold.” Burke added, “This means that in cold countries, a little bit of warming can help. The opposite is true in places that are already hot.” This study emphasized that climate change has been, and will continue to be, most devastating for the world's poorest countries.

It is important to note that although some wealthier countries' economies may be stimulated from climate change, many wealthier countries will also have shrinking economies within the next 50 years due to climate change. For example, as the United States Fourth National Climate Assessment concluded, by 2100 the US economy will likely lose hundreds of billions of dollars annually due to climate change impacts (extreme weather events, crop failure, coastal flooding, and loss of productivity due to extreme heat in parts of the nation). 

Read more here

An increasing number of states, including Montana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri, have now passed legislation targeted at regulating and deterring sale of plant-based and cell-cultured meat. The “Real Meat Act” in Montana prohibits labeling a product as “meat” unless the product is “derived from the edible flesh of livestock or a livestock product.” 

Opponents of the Real Meat Act in Montana argued that the bill, backed by farm lobbyists, is a misuse of power intended to unlawfully defeat new competitors (plant-based and cell-cultured protein companies) to the cattle industry. Groups are challenging the label law enacted in Missouri as an unconstitutional violation of free speech, and similar challenges will likely arise in other states with similar laws. 

Read more here

The Climate Action Now Act passed through the House of Representatives on May 2 and intends to prevent the United States from leaving the Paris Climate Agreement, a threat President Trump made in 2017. The United States is unable to pull out of the Agreement before the end of 2020. The Climate Action Now Act would prevent the use of federal funding in pulling out of the agreement at that time. Although this bill likely will not pass in the Senate, it sends the signal that many representatives are taking climate change seriously.

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New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced the adoption of a Green New Deal in NYC in April, and we attended the announcement press conference. The Mayor emphasized that if Washington lawmakers are gridlocked and refuse to take action on climate issues, cities can adopt their own green policies to prevent pending environmental collapse and catastrophe. The New York City Council passed six bills to restrict the types of buildings that can be built and phase out large, inefficient steel and glass structures. The Green New Deal proposal will include laws promoting sustainability in other sectors, including a meat-reduction component in which the city will aim to reduce beef purchasing by 50%. 

Read more here

Although the US government had been steadily phasing out subsidies for commercial fishing vessels, there is a new proposal to provide low-interest loans for constructing fishing boats. This proposal would be detrimental for the fishing industry, as well as the health of the ocean and its biodiversity. Overfishing harms fish populations and ocean health, and also leads to food shortages. In addition to individuals decreasing fish consumption, governments can play a role in reducing overfishing by ending harmful fishing subsidies, as required by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. According to Peter Thomson @oceanenvoy, there are three big reasons why these subsidies are harmful: there are too many commercial fishing fleets in an industry that has diminishing fish populations; the subsidies often support fleets engaged in illegal fishing; and ending the subsidies would free up tons of government funds (governments are spending $18-20 billion annually on harmful fishing subsidies). 

Read more here.

In February, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at a community board meeting in Queens, NY. We asked her a question about the Green New Deal, how she plans to reach across the aisle to build support, and how elected officials can get the support of blue collar workers. In her response, she mentioned engaging with people in parts of the country where jobs will be impacted, including coal miners in West Virginia and cattle ranchers in Nebraska, who may feel a direct threat from the Green New Deal. She also specifically mentioned the need to address the environmental harms of factory farming. Although the status of the existing Green New Deal is up in the air, and the current resolution doesn’t specifically address how to lower emissions from animal agriculture, it is very promising to see a high-profile Congressperson discuss inclusion of factory farm reforms in any Green New Deal. 

Announced today, all New York City public schools are adopting Meatless Mondays in the 2019-2020 school year. The impact of this initiative is massive: the city's 1.1 million students will be exposed to sustainable eating, emissions from meat intake will go down, and the number of farm animals used for food will be reduced. The program was piloted successfully, received feedback and support from students and faculty, and will be cost neutral. The city already offers free breakfast and lunch to all students in public schools, and by sourcing better food, the city has signaled its interest in reducing emissions and preparing children to have sustainable lifestyles. 

Read more here.

Canada’s new dietary guidelines, which will be continually updated as new information emerges, emphasize plant-based proteins, largely removing dairy and reducing meat recommendations. The guidelines also promote health eating habits: eating with others, cooking homemade food, and being aware of food marketing. Previous Canadian food recommendations had encouraged two glasses of milk a day for optimal health. The dairy industry, which has been shrinking from trade agreements and competition with plant-based alternatives, is arguing that the recommendations deviate from science and aren’t evidence-based. However, ample studies support the health adequacy (and benefits) of removing dairy from diets.

Read more here.

91% of deforestation in the Amazon is caused by livestock activities, which disrupt and threaten indigenous communities' livelihoods. Brazil's newly-elected president, Jair Bolsonaro, is enacting policies that target indigenous people's welfare and the Amazon rainforest's viability. Within hours of taking office in January, he signed an executive order that transferred regulation and creation of indigenous land reserves from Funai, an indigenous agency, to the agriculture ministry, an agency controlled by the agribusiness lobby in Brazil.

Indigenous reserves make up 13% of Brazilian territory and Bolsonaro is anxious to make good on his campaign promises to free up indigenous land for commercial farming and mining. He recently tweeted, “More than 15% of national territory is demarcated as indigenous land and quilombos. Less than a million people live in these places, isolated from true Brazil, exploited and manipulated by NGOs. Together we will integrate these citizens.” Bolsonaro’s attitude toward indigenous sovereignty is troubling and reflects his pro-business, conservative approach to governing Brazil.

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Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, supported a new hospital pilot program that uses vegan diets to help patients with chronic health issues. "We are introducing in a real way, in the oldest hospital in America, a concept that is called disease reversal," said Adams. This program can help citizens reverse chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease by promoting plant-based diets as part of medical treatment plans.

Read more here

In Wales, the government is providing £80 million for farming programs that support better environmental agricultural outcomes, including measures to help farmers prepare for the introduction of regulations that protect water quality from agricultural pollution. Governments can provide training programs, financial incentives, and small grants to encourage farmers to transition to sustainable farming practices, including transitioning out of animal farming. Animal farming contributes to at least 15% of greenhouse gas emissions and emits pollutants (manure, animal parts, fertilizers, chemicals) into bodies of water. These grants are also intended to help farmers weather the impacts of Brexit. 

Read more here

Local governments can play a big role in implementing natural solutions to fight climate change. A new suggestion by LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz aims to require large entertainment venues in LA to provide a vegan protein option, and Los Angeles Airport terminals to have a vegan dining option, in order to combat climate change. Councilmember Koretz is an environmental and animal advocate who has advanced many successful policies benefiting the citizens of Los Angeles, the environment, and domestic, animals.

Read more here

The Canadian government has invested $150 million in plant-based protein development. Governments play a vital role in determining which foods are produced and the sale prices for those foods. In the past century, national governments have subsidized and worked on behalf of the meat, dairy, and egg industries (as well as grain producers), and have created a huge market of cheap animal products. Now, governments can shift consumer demand and create larger supplies of healthy, sustainable options by investing in plant-based protein, clean meat, and wider ranges of crops. This will spur innovation, drive competition, and provide more plant-based options for Canadians! 

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Indigenous communities rely on forests in South and Central America for their livelihoods. Logging, mining, territorial expansion, and, most significantly, cattle ranching have wiped out large swaths of the Amazon. Livestock operations constitute 80% of the deforestation and severely threaten indigenous communities who depend on the forest. Brazil's incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a major threat to these communities and to the preservation of the Amazon. Bolsonaro aims to create more mines, pave new roads, remove more penalties for deforestation, and limit creation of indigenous forest reserves. If he is successful, scientists estimate that deforestation in Brazil could triple. For indigenous communities relying on the Amazon for food, water, and livelihoods, Bolsonaro's policies will be a matter of life or death.

Read more here

Under the @unitednations Sustainable Development Goals, by 2020, all countries must “prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and refrain from introducing new such subsidies.” 2019 is a big year for these reforms to take place and a bulk of the work lies with the World Trade Organization. According to Peter Thomson, there are three big reasons why these subsidies are harmful: there are too many commercial fishing fleets in an industry that has diminishing fish populations; the subsidies often support fleets engaged in illegal fishing; and ending the subsidies would free up tons of government funds (governments are spending $18-20 billion annually on harmful fishing subsidies).

Read article here

In Missouri, plant-based meat company Tofurky, along with several other plaintiffs, is proceeding with litigation against the state of Missouri, objecting to a law criminalizing food companies for the use of the term “meat” for products not containing animal flesh. Tofurky would like the lawsuit to proceed as a defendant class action, in which plaintiff joins a number of defendants with a single representative according to the same Rule 23 requirements for plaintiff classes. Defendant class actions are extremely rare, and difficult to form because defendants may opt out of acting as a representative for the class.

Read more here

The Trump administration has recently issued a congressionally mandated report on climate change. The report concludes that climate change has led to increased temperatures and rise in sea levels; warns of increase in wildfires, floods, and natural disasters; and predicts economic turmoil in the United States from the impact of climate change. We will be providing more analysis on this report and the government responses in the coming weeks.

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Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat company started in 2009, is dramatically expanding and leading the way for sustainable food production. Its nutritious and delicious foods use less water and land in production and emit fewer greenhouse gases than animals raised for meat. Beyond Meat has solidied its presence in the food industry by selling its products widely in restaurants (including in large scale venues like Disney World) and mainstream grocery stores throughout the country. Recently, Beyond Meat led for an IPO (initial public offering). This is exciting news because it signies the company's projections for growth potential, allows the public to invest in the company and have a say in its direction, and opens more avenues for investment that will allow the company to scale at a faster rate.

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