Happy Hump Day, Shit Givers.
This week, we’re talking about animal welfare. And before we dive in: this isn’t about guilting you into going vegan. I know that people choose to eat meat for all kinds of reasons, and guilt trips aren’t effective anyway.
But whatever is on your plate, hopefully we can all agree that the animals we share this planet with, farmed or wild, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Because when we say “No life is worth more than another”, we mean animal lives too (and even if you don’t agree with that 100%, the way we farm animals and protect biodiversity is super important for human health as well!).
So this issue covers the fight to keep animals out of cages too small to turn around in, the antibiotic overuse fueling the next public health crisis, the species protections under attack in Congress right now, and a few things you can do in your own backyard.
Let’s go.
— Willow
APL Positions covered this week:
🐷 End extreme confinement in livestock production
🐙 Protect highly sentient species from exploitation
🦉 Restore keystone species and degraded ecosystems
🎣 Fishing within science-based sustainable limits
💊 Phase out routine antibiotic use in livestock
Crate expectations
Did you know that pregnant pigs in the US are still legally confined to gestation crates so small they can’t turn around? Fifteen states and the EU have already banned this, but industry-backed bills keep trying to nullify those state laws entirely, arguing that no state should be allowed to have higher animal welfare standards than the lowest common denominator.
Here’s what you can do:
Tell Congress to update the Animal Welfare Act and end gestation crate confinement with the PIGS Act of 2025 (go).
While you’re at it, have them further strengthen the Animal Welfare Act with the Better CARE for Animals Act of 2025 (go).
And tell them to oppose the Food Security and Farm Protection Act which would nullify state animal welfare laws like California’s Prop 12, already upheld by the Supreme Court (go).
Support the fight against factory farming with the Humane Farming Association (go).
Back humane farming and safer food resources with Food Animal Concerns Trust (go).
Resistance training
Two-thirds of all antibiotics considered medically important for humans are given to livestock, not people — mostly to compensate for crowded, stressful conditions instead of treating actual illness.
Denmark cut its livestock antibiotic use by 60% with no drop in productivity. The US can and should do the same, especially because antibiotic-resistant infections already kill an estimated 35,000 Americans a year.
Here’s what you can do:
Hold McDonald’s accountable for antibiotic use in its beef supply chain (go).
Learn when antibiotics actually help, and when overuse causes harm, with this guide from the CDC (go).
Support fair food systems research with the IATP (go).
Back food policy and antibiotic resistance research with CSPI (go).
Where the wild things aren’t
Octopuses are intelligent enough that over 100 scientists have called for banning commercial octopus farming before it starts in the US.
The Endangered Species Act, which has a 99% success rate at preventing extinction, faces defunding riders almost every year, buried in unrelated appropriations bills where they’re easy to miss.
Here’s what you can do:
Tell lawmakers to support the OCTOPUS Act of 2025 and prevent commercial octopus farming before it starts (go).
Tell Congress to fully fund Endangered Species Act enforcement and reject this year’s defunding riders (go).
Tell your Senator to support the National Biodiversity Strategy (go).
See which species are at risk in your county with this interactive map (go).
Support species protection directly with the Endangered Species Coalition (go).
Wild at home
Not everything here requires a phone call. Your yard, your grocery list, and your dinner plans are all places you can make a difference for animal welfare and biodiversity.
Here’s what you can do:
Restore your yard’s ecosystem and attract pollinators with the Native Plant Finder (go).
Turn your lawn into a wildlife-friendly garden with this guide from NPR (go).
Find vegan and vegetarian-friendly spots near you with Happy Cow (go).
Read the case for lab-grown meat as an actual end to factory farming, from the New York Times (go).
That’s it for this week.
Thank you — as always — for giving a shit.
— Willow
Was this WCID action update helpful?
💌 Loved this issue of WCID Weekly?
Check out what else we make (or take it easy on the emails, we get it) right in your Subscriber Preferences. 👈
We’re 100% independent and proudly supported by readers like you.
Members get a 30 day free trial to:
Ad-free everything
Your What Can I Do? profile: save & favorite your action steps, connect with other Shit Givers
Vibe Check: Our news homepage, curated daily just for you. Never doomscroll again, thx
Seriously?: The frameworks, models, history, and pop culture we use to understand what’s happening now and next
Half Baked: Weekly briefs to help you think and act on specific, timely issues as they happen
Not Important: My favorite books, art, movies, music, apps, and more that have nothing to do with the jet stream slowing down
Lifetime thanks for directly supporting our work