Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/998-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThe meat industry is sweating, and honestly, it’s about time. This week we cover a staggering array of stories showing just how rattled animal agriculture has become — from a desperate columnist panicking over $400 million in animal rights funding, to the USDA casually funneling $5.5 billion in taxpayer money to prop up an industry that apparently can’t survive on its own merits. Meanwhile, 51 Ridglan Farms rescuers face prosecution for removing beagles from a now-shuttered cruel facility, bird flu triples across Washington dairy herds with “strict biosecurity measures” that are clearly not working, a former vegan politician throws animals under a taco truck, and the UK government actually says the words “to prevent further suffering” out loud. The anxieties aren’t just rising — they’re doing a victory lap.

• Ridglan Farms prosecutions: A court commissioner found probable cause to move forward with charges against 51 defendants involved in the rescue of 22 beagles from the now-closed Ridglan Farms breeding facility in Dane County, Wisconsin — frustrating, but very much part of the theory of change.
• The meat industry’s Moskovitz meltdown: A Meatingplace columnist is sounding the alarm that effective altruism-funded AI executives could funnel up to $30 billion a year into anti-factory farming campaigns — and his big counterargument is that rural America should use data centers as leverage. Yes, really.
• USDA’s $5.5 billion beef bailout: The SPUR initiative is pouring $500 million in direct payments and $5 billion in guaranteed loans into beef slaughter facilities — because nothing says “free market capitalism” like socialism for slaughterhouses.
• Bird flu surges in dairy: Washington’s infected dairy herds tripled to 27 in a single week, spreading to a second county and infecting a dairy worker, despite “strict biosecurity measures” that seem about as effective as a screen door on a submarine.
• UK to phase out CO2 stunning of pigs: The UK government announced plans to end CO2 stunning of pigs — calling them “highly sentient and intelligent animals” — in a rare instance of a government acknowledging that animals can suffer and then actually doing something about it.

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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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

All donations made before December 31 will be DOUBLED, up to $25,000 if we reach our goal. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/137-ALP-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.pngIn this episode of The Animal Law Podcast, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Rebecca Cary and Melissa Alpert, attorneys at Humane World for Animals, about the federal government’s unprecedented lawsuits challenging California’s Proposition 12 and Michigan’s cage-free egg law. The government argues that the Egg Products Inspection Act — a 1970 statute about inspecting liquid and dried egg products for adulteration — expressly preempts state-level farm animal welfare sales bans. The discussion covers the government’s novel and contested theory of sovereign standing, the surprising split between the California and Michigan courts, and why the egg industry has broken ranks with the pork industry to side with animal advocates in these cases.

• Prop 12’s legal history and the Supreme Court victory in NPPC v. Ross: a recap of California’s evolving farm animal welfare laws from Proposition 2 (2008) through Proposition 12 (2018), and the Supreme Court’s unanimous 2023 decision upholding the pork sales ban against dormant commerce clause challenges
• The federal government’s EPIA preemption argument explained: how the government relies on a single preemption clause about egg grading standards (size, quality, condition) to claim that cage-free hen housing requirements are preempted, despite the Egg Products Inspection Act having nothing to do with on-farm animal welfare
• Constitutional standing and the sovereign injury theory: why the government’s standing allegations are remarkably thin, how the California court found standing but certified the question for interlocutory appeal to the Ninth Circuit, and why the Michigan court dismissed the case entirely for lack of injury
• The egg industry’s shift from opposition to alliance: how the egg industry, after losing early challenges to Prop 2 and California’s AB 1437, pivoted to embrace cage-free production as a market opportunity and is now intervening alongside animal advocates against the federal government’s lawsuits
• The Save Our Bacon Act and broader threats to state animal welfare laws: the latest version of the decades-old King Amendment effort to federally preempt state agricultural sales bans, its inclusion in the House farm bill, and what it means for the future of farm animal protection legislation

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Rebecca Cary is a managing attorney within the Animal Protection Law section of Humane World for Animals, where she has worked since 2010. Her practice includes farm animal welfare and constitutional defense issues, and she has been the lead attorney on multiple challenges to state farm animal confinement and sales initiatives, including the NPPC v. Ross case in which the Supreme Court upheld California’s Proposition 12 against a pork industry challenge. Rebecca is a 2009 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and a 2005 graduate of the University of California San Diego, where she was a founder of a student animal welfare group. She has taught animal law courses at George Mason University and George Washington University, and she is the co-chair of the District of Columbia Bar’s animal law section. Rebecca lives in Maryland with her two rescue cats.

Melissa Alpert is a Staff Attorney within the Animal Protection Law section of Humane World for Animals, focused on farm animal issues. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and joined Humane World for Animals in 2024 after working at large law firms in Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh, PA. At Humane World for Animals, she has been active in litigation related to farm animal confinement laws, including the defense of California’s Proposition 12.

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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https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.pngYou can listen to the Animal Law Podcast directly on our website (at the top of this page) or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!

Of course, we would be thrilled if you would consider making a donation or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). All donations made before December 31 will be DOUBLED, up to $25,000 if we reach our goal. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Don’t forget to also listen to the award-winning, weekly signature OHH podcast — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann cover a packed slate of animal advocacy news and community stories. Jasmin shares highlights from emceeing a fundraiser for My Dog Is My Home—an organization helping people experiencing houselessness keep their companion animals—and reflects on the passage of New York City’s horse carriage ban. The hosts discuss Animal Rising’s Free Luna campaign to rescue a single pig from a UK factory farm, explore how Ghent, Belgium transformed into a plant-based paradise with 83% of residents identifying as flexitarian, and dig into the USDA’s new push to crack down on dog fighting and unlawful breeders. They also remember activist Howard Lyman, author of Mad Cowboy and the center of Oprah’s infamous food libel trial, and share updates on the March to Abolish Animal Testing expanding to university campuses, the upcoming Veganic Summit, and the opening of Planted Bloomington—a vegan restaurant tied to The Goat Conspiracy sanctuary. Plus, the launch of Our Hen House’s year-end fundraiser with matching gifts through December 31st.

• Free Luna Campaign by Animal Rising: Learn how Animal Rising is using a single pig’s story to clarify factory farming, including Rose Patterson’s remarkable letter offering a £5,000 donation to a farmer mental health charity in exchange for Luna’s safe rehoming. Sign the petition at animalrising.org.
• Ghent, Belgium’s Plant-Based Transformation: Discover how climate-focused policy, school “Veggie Thursdays,” default oat milk, and the Green Deal Protein Shift made 83% of Ghent’s population flexitarian, a model for cities worldwide.
• USDA Cracks Down on Dog Fighting & Unlawful Breeders: The USDA’s new Animal Protection Bureau is increasing investigators by 20%, reviewing surrendered breeder licenses, and denying licenses to repeat violators under the Animal Welfare Act.
• March to Abolish Animal Testing Goes to Campuses: Following the 207-mile walk last September, volunteer-led demonstrations are being organized at universities nationwide on December 3rd. No organizing experience needed. Sign up at marchforanimals.org.
• Veganic Summit (Nov 6–8) & Planted Bloomington Opening: A free online summit on animal-free farming methods, plus the newly opened vegan restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, affiliated with The Goat Conspiracy sanctuary — a model for how vegan restaurants and sanctuaries serve as vital community organizing spaces.

A Note from Jasmin: Tomorrow, October 30, is my birthday, and it’s also the launch of our year-end fundraiser. Thanks to our Barnyard Benefactors, every gift you give is doubled, as long as we reach $25,000 by December 31. Next week, we record our 1,000th episode, and we’ve passed 3.1 million listens, all because of you. If you’re able, make a gift for the animals in honor of my birthday, or join the Flock starting at $10 a month. Head to http://ourhenhouse.org/support. Thank you for changing the world for animals with us.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/997OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.pngRESOURCES

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• Buy A Series of Opinionated Animals & A Portion Will Go To Our Hen House!
• UW-Madison alum says he misrepresented public footage as campus pig gas chamber
• Planted Bloomington
• Free Luna- Red Court Farm has the power to release Luna into sanctuary to live safe and free for the rest of her life
• Animals Rising on Bluesky
• Veggie Thursdays and vegan surprises! How Ghent became a plant-based paradise
• USDA TARGETS DOGFIGHTING AND UNLAWFUL BREEDERS TO STRENGTHEN ANIMAL PROTECTION
• March for Animals- University Days of Action
• Mad Cowboy from Bookshop.org

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https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Veganic-Summit-2026-rectangle-800-x-600-360x270.png

The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 6th-8th, 2026. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/

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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/996-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThis week, we cover a parasitic worm inching through Texas via a dead elk on a game ranch, ChatGPT’s suspicious habit of painting factory farms as pastoral paradises, a Tyson mobile barn designed to gaslight children, the UK’s surprising willingness to ditch meat for food security, and a New York Post columnist who thinks banning carriage horses is socialism. Also: factory farms are legally exempt from telling you they’re poisoning the air, and yes, you did read that correctly.

• Screwworm hits wildlife: The parasite showed up in an elk on a Texas game ranch, and one USDA strategy seems to be asking hunters to “stay alert,” which should work out great
• AI is laundering factory farm imagery: ChatGPT quietly rewrites prompts to generate idyllic farm scenes instead of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) users actually asked for. Very convenient for an industry that already spends millions on the same illusion
• Tyson’s “Talks Turkey” mobile barn: A traveling exhibit that shows kids a tiny cart with a few turkeys and calls it representative of poultry production; one child asked if the birds would be “murdered,” and the welfare specialist did not share his answer
• UK food security & plant-based diets: A Vegan Society poll found 69% of Brits would reduce meat and dairy to improve food security, the argument that might actually stick when climate and health haven’t
• Factory farms exempt from air pollution reporting: The EPA lets CAFOs skip reporting ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions, both of which can hospitalize or kill you, while every other industry has to disclose

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.

_____________________________________________

http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of the Our Hen House interview, Jasmin and Mariann sit down with animal lawyer, rescuer, and activist Michelle Lerner to discuss her new book A Series of Opinionated Animals (Bancroft Press). Michelle shares how a childhood bond with a rescue horse named Shire set her on the path to Harvard Law School, where she co-founded the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and helped lobby for the school’s first animal law course — despite facing intense hostility from some classmates. The conversation explores how Michelle uses humor and individual animal stories — from a neurologically impaired squirrel named Monster to a bossy chicken named Stephanie — as a Trojan horse for deeper policy issues around wildlife rehabilitation laws, the legal status of animals as property, and the power of recognizing animals as individuals rather than abstract species. The episode also features an Our Hen House exclusive: the never-before-told story of Isaac, Michelle’s 22-pound cat and the elaborate enclosure system she built to keep everyone safe.

• From Harvard Law to animal law pioneer: Michelle recounts putting an animal rights sticker on her locker at Harvard Law School, the hostile backlash it triggered, and how she channeled that experience into founding one of the first Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapters — paving the way for what is now the Harvard Animal Law and Policy Program’s 25th anniversary.
• Storytelling as activism and the case for animal personhood: Michelle explains why she shifted focus from changing animals’ legal status as property to showing readers that animals already possess genuine personhood, using individual biographies — funny, heartbreaking, and specific — to break through in ways that graphic factory farming footage often cannot.
• Wildlife rescue and the law: The story of Monster, a neurologically impaired squirrel Michelle illegally took in after discovering how state fish and game councils — dominated by hunters and trappers — systematically undercut wildlife rehabilitation, leaving disabled wild animals with nowhere to go.
• Grief, love, and the cost of caring for animals: Michelle opens up about how losing her horse Shire shaped her understanding of grief, how those experiences informed her novel Ring (longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize), and why the depth of her relationships with animals makes the inevitable loss worth it.
• Where to find the book: A Series of Opinionated Animals is available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook. Click here to buy the book and Our Hen House will receive $10 per hardcover or $5 per e-book sale!

ABOUT OUR GUEST

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Michelle Lerner is a former public interest attorney, animal law pioneer, and author. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, she co-founded the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, successfully lobbying for Harvard’s first animal law class. She later drafted municipal and state legislation, co-chaired the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee, and founded a local rescue that achieved no-kill status. After a disabling illness, she turned to writing stories. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Ring, was published in 2025 and her latest book, A Series of Opinionated Animals, is available now from Bancroft Press.

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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of The Hen Report from Our Hen House, Jasmin and Mariann cover major developments in animal welfare and the vegan movement, including the Ridglan Farms beagle rescue court updates, Wyoming becoming the sixth no-kill state, the Trump administration’s animal welfare agenda (and its exclusion of farm animals), the upcoming free Veganic Summit, and a heartwarming story of a young Spider-Man who released resort lobsters back into the ocean. Plus, a conversation about bridging the gap between companion animal advocacy and farmed animal rights, and a preview of Friday’s interview with Michelle Lerner, author of A Series of Opinionated Animals.

• Ridglan Farms Beagle Rescue Court Update: All 47 advocates who rescued beagles from the Wisconsin breeding facility appeared in court, with attorneys arguing they acted as rescuers — not thieves. Rep. Mark Pocan has called on the Dane County DA to drop all charges, and the Beagle Freedom Project reports 85% of the 498 released beagles had abnormal veterinary findings.
• Wyoming Joins No-Kill States: Wyoming is now the sixth U.S. state to achieve no-kill shelter status (90% live release rate), joining Delaware, Idaho, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — thanks in part to special-needs cat rescues like Second Chance Sheridan.
• Trump’s Animal Welfare Agenda & Farm Animals: Jessica Scott-Reid writes in Sentient Media that while the administration is reportedly expanding protections for companion animals through USDA and FDA updates, the new era of animal welfare still excludes nearly all of the 10 billion land animals farmed for food each year.
• Veganic Summit (Free, Nov 6–8): A free online event teaching how to grow plant foods using vegan, organic techniques — no chemical fertilizers or animal byproducts like manure or bone meal. Register at veganicsummit.com.
• The Kids Are All Right: A young boy in Mexico donned a Spider-Man mask and released $400 worth of resort lobsters into the ocean, and a bipartisan Michigan bill — inspired by fourth graders — would designate shelter pets as the state’s official pet.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/994-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.pngRESOURCES

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• Buy A Series of Opinionated Animals & A Portion Will Go To Our Hen House!
• Ridglan Farms beagles: Animal rights advocates appear in court
• Wyoming is Now a No-Kill State
• Trump’s ‘New Era of Animal Welfare’ Excludes Almost All Farm Animals
• A young boy wearing a Spider-Man mask released approximately $400 worth of live lobsters
• Thanks, Matthew Bierlein – State Representative for introducing a bill designating shelter pets as Michigan’s official pet.
• Beyond VegFest: Making Healthy Connections
• My Dog Is My Home, A Seat at the Table benefit

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https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Veganic-Summit-2026-rectangle-800-x-600-360x270.png

The Veganic Summit is a free online event from November 6th-8th, 2026. You’ll learn how plant foods can be grown using techniques that are both vegan and organic, without any chemical fertilizers or any animal byproducts like manure or bonemeal. If you’d like to start your own veganic garden or learn about sustainable plant-based farming, sign up for the Veganic Summit today at https://veganicsummit.com/

_____________________________________________

http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/993-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThis week, Mariann finds herself in a suspiciously good mood despite a roster of horrors: ag-friendly lawmakers are departing Washington, Western states are busy “euthanizing” wolves in the most creative misuse of that word yet, and 2,400 pigs died in a barn fire that somehow produced “no injuries.” On the bright side, Gen Z is apparently ghosting pork, the hog market is in freefall, and a new report confirms what everyone already suspected—Big Beef knew about its climate impact back in the ’90s and chose deception. Also: cancer-causing fire retardant in your fish meal, supermarkets begging governments to stop yanking every last mackerel out of the sea, and your tax dollars hard at work building a dairy industry in a country full of lactose-intolerant people. Plus, a shout-out to Cat Phipps, the grassroots activist proving one person can actually ruin a multi-country live animal export operation.

• Farm lobby loses its Congressional cheerleaders: Dozens of lawmakers with big ag ties are leaving Washington, and the industry is very sad about it, which is a promising sign for anyone who isn’t a factory farm
• Shooting wolves is not euthanasia: Colorado and other Western states are reintroducing wolves and then killing them the moment they do what wolves do; calling it euthanasia doesn’t make it euthanasia
• Gen Z is not buying pork: Hog market hits “historic lows” as younger consumers cut their per-capita pig consumption, and industry veterans find this “puzzling”
• Big Beef’s ’90s climate disinformation campaign exposed: Newly surfaced documents show the National Cattlemen’s Association knew about livestock’s methane problem decades ago and opted to lie about
• Cancer-causing fire retardant in fish meal + US dairy expansion in lactose-intolerant Indonesia: Because nothing says “agricultural innovation” like poisoning farmed fish and exporting lactose to a country that can’t digest it

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.

_____________________________________________

http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of Our Hen House, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Cat Phipps of Southampton Animal Action about their remarkable grassroots campaign that convinced Brittany Ferries to end live animal exports between Ireland and France. Cat breaks down the history of live export protests in the UK, how a small local group used consistent, legal, and disruptive tactics over more than a year to force a major ferry company to stop transporting animals on 18-plus-hour journeys, and what this victory means for the broader animal rights movement. They also discuss the resurgence of grassroots campaigning, bridging the gap between welfarist and abolitionist approaches, and what’s next — including a new push against Irish Ferries and ongoing campaigns targeting MBR Acres, Barclays, and pet retailers.

• The Brittany Ferries campaign: How Southampton Animal Action organized weekly protests at Portsmouth Port, used banner drops and megaphones inside the port, and maintained legal but disruptive pressure to persuade CEO Christophe Mathieu to end the company’s live animal export operations.
• Live exports explained: The grim reality of live animal transport in Europe, including unweaned calves and sheep shipped for 18+ hours without food or water, and how the UK’s 2024 ban on live exports post-Brexit left EU routes as the remaining battleground.
• Abolitionist messaging within a welfarist coalition: How a vegan-led grassroots group partnered with Compassion in World Farming while refusing to compromise their demand for a complete end to live exports, proving that welfare-to-abolitionist coalitions can work.
• The ripple effects: How Brittany Ferries’ decision sent the Irish animal agriculture industry into crisis, triggered political panic among Irish MEPs, and left Irish Ferries as the sole remaining live export operator on the route.
• Grassroots strategy and what’s next: The role of in-person community building, why small protests can be powerfully effective, how single-species campaigns like MBR Acres can serve as gateways to broader animal rights awareness, and Southampton Animal Action’s upcoming campaigns targeting Barclays, Pets at Home, and more.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

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Cat Phipps is an animal rights activist with Southampton Animal Action (SAA), a grassroots group campaigning for animal freedom across Hampshire, UK. She led SAA’s campaign against Brittany Ferries, who restarted live animal exports in 2025. The campaign included regular protests outside Brittany Ferries in Portsmouth, UK, and culminated in a direct meeting with Brittany Ferries’ CEO, Christophe Matthieu, in July 2026. The following week, Brittany Ferries announced its decision to stop transporting animals. The win demonstrated the impact that persistent grassroots campaigning can have on corporate decisions and animal protection.

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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann discuss groundbreaking news: New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry may finally be coming to an end under Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration. They trace the decades-long grassroots fight to ban carriage horses in NYC—from protest carols at Columbus Circle to the strategic political organizing that made this moment possible—while highlighting the activists and organizations, including Voters for Animal Rights and the work of Allie Feldman Taylor, who helped build the political power behind the bill. The conversation also explores the vital role of grassroots activism in the broader animal rights movement, the upcoming City Council vote on October 22nd, and what this iconic victory could mean for animals far beyond New York City.

• NYC Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban: Mayor Mamdani announced the industry is coming to an end, with the City Council vote expected on October 22nd and a potential phase-out date of June 1, 2028. The bill includes humane disposition requirements for the horses.
• Decades of Grassroots Organizing: The hosts reflect on their personal history with this campaign, including Christmas carols rewritten as protest songs, and explain why this long-fought battle is a testament to the power of persistent grassroots activism.
• Key Organizations and Activists: A spotlight on the groups that made this possible—including Voters for Animal Rights, NYCLASS, Equine Advocates, and the ASPCA—with special recognition for Allie Feldman Taylor, who now heads the NYC Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare.
• The Catalyst and the Context: The tragic death of a young man from India after a carriage accident helped trigger this moment, but it was the years of organizing beforehand that made the movement ready to act when tragedy struck—drawing international press coverage from the UK, Australia, and India.
• The Broader Grassroots Movement: The discussion expands to celebrate grassroots activism across the animal rights movement, including the upcoming interview with Cat Phipps about live export protests in the UK, the March to End Animal Testing, and a reminder that local, in-person advocacy remains essential to creating lasting change for animals.

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• Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law & Graduate School
• The Effects Of Digital Advocacy: What A Single Exposure To Digital Animal Advocacy Can (And Can’t) Do
• New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriages expected to take their last trot
• Horse-drawn carriages in New York City expected to be outlawed

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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of Our Hen House, Mariann and Jasmin sit down with Alex Bury, Vice President of Development at Vegan Outreach, and Stacy Shepanek, Director of Communications at Vegan Outreach and co-lead of Knox Vegan, to talk about grassroots vegan activism that works. They dig into Vegan Outreach’s massive leafleting legacy (22 million booklets and counting), their 10 Weeks to Vegan online program with 1.8 million signups across 18 countries, and the star of the show — the Vegan Chef Challenge, a month-long campaign that gets local restaurants to create brand-new vegan menu items in cities where plant-based options are scarce. Along the way, they discuss why grassroots outreach remains essential in a movement that has shifted toward corporate advocacy, how the Chef Challenge transforms dining scenes in places like Anchorage and Knoxville, the one-day MacDown mac and cheese competitions, and how volunteers can bring the Vegan Chef Challenge to their own communities.

• How the Vegan Chef Challenge works: 10–30 local restaurants create new vegan specials — typically an appetizer, entrée, and dessert — for a month, with customers voting for their favorites. The majority of participating restaurants had zero vegan options before, and many keep vegan dishes on the menu year-round.
• Grassroots vegan activism still matters: Alex and Stacy make the case that while corporate advocacy and legislative work have their place, person-to-person outreach — from college leafleting to restaurant challenges — is an irreplaceable way to create lasting change for animals.
• Global reach with local flavor: Vegan Outreach’s 10 Weeks to Vegan program operates in 18 countries with culturally adapted recipes and resources, and their India team has helped replace over a million pounds of meat with plant-based options through the Green Tuesday initiative.
• Getting involved: Volunteers can bring a Vegan Chef Challenge or MacDown to their own city.Visit veganchefchallenge.org to fill out an interest form, or email info@veganoutreach.org to explore volunteer opportunities ranging from leafleting to organizing a full month-long restaurant challenge.
• Community building beyond the food: The Vegan Chef Challenge doesn’t just create vegan options — it creates community. From Anchorage’s growing network of vegan women to Knoxville’s meetup culture, the challenge has become a catalyst for lasting local connections that help new vegans stay vegan.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS

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Alex Bury (she/her) has been a professional fundraiser for animal rights and animal welfare nonprofits for over 20 years. Before that, she was a CIA-trained professional chef who ran a vegan restaurant in Northern California. She shifted her career to more direct ways of supporting the movement against animal suffering, raising the funds activists need to do their work, and has worked for PETA, the PETA Foundation, HSUS (now A Humane World), and her current organization, Vegan Outreach. She’s a member of Women Funders in Animal Rights and Indivisible, and a proud board member for People & Pets Project, Open Sanctuary Project, and Beyond Population. Alex lives and works remotely in Anchorage, Alaska. She and her dog Goldie love to hike, cross-country ski, and stay up too late reading science fiction.

Stacy Shepanek is Director of Communications at Vegan Outreach. She went vegan in 2012 and became a community organizer in Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina. She joined Vegan Outreach in 2017, leafleting college campuses and doing graphic design, and she’s since organized three vegan Mac Downs. She’s been on the Knoxville Vegan Chef Challenge organizing team since its first year and co-runs Knox Vegan, sharing local vegan food finds and organizing community events. Stacy believes in supporting local restaurants with strong vegan options, because the vegan in the group is often the one choosing where everyone eats, and one thoughtful menu item can bring a whole table of new diners through the door. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her partner and their rescue dog, Cookie, and loves hiking, cycling, climbing, and just about anything that gets her outside. She has worn many hats over the years before working for Vegan Outreach. She spent 10 years in Civil Engineering and 8 years as a professional potter before coming to Vegan Outreach.

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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of The Hen Report from Our Hen House, Jasmin and Mariann dig into the tension within the animal protection movement over anti-factory farming messaging that stops short of asking people to eat fewer animals. Inspired by Mariann’s Substack piece Expanding the Tent and Jasmin’s experience at an op-ed writing workshop, the two trace this strategic issue through historical parallels — from abolition and women’s suffrage to civil rights, gay rights, and prison reform. Mariann outlines four distinct factions operating within the farmed animal movement today and makes the case that, with so little progress achieved so far, activists should be pushing every approach forward rather than tearing each other down.

• Anti-factory farming vs. diet change: Mariann argues that ending factory farming inevitably means animal products become expensive and scarce, so the movement can’t skip the hardest conversation.
• Lessons from social justice history: Jasmin draws parallels to abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, gay rights, environmentalism, and prison reform, noting that internal divisions between radicals and moderates often helped movements succeed when both camps pushed simultaneously.
• Four factions in the farmed animal movement: Mariann identifies anti-factory farming reformers, animal modification advocates (like Aidan Kankyoku’s headless chicken proposal), diet change organizations (Good Food Institute, Vegan Outreach, Greener by Default), and the focus on the animals — each with overlapping but distinct goals.
• A call for unity over infighting: With insufficient progress after decades of advocacy, activists should need to advance every promising approach at once.

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• Expanding the Tent

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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/988-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngMariann Sullivan breaks down why the meat industry is panicking about animal rights groups making common cause with small farmers, how dairy operations turned their unwanted male calves into a billion-dollar beef sideline (20% of the US beef supply and counting), and why the H-2A visa program is a legal nightmare for an industry that runs on exploited labor. Plus: Colorado shoots wolves it released and calls it “euthanasia,” PETA gets reported to a charity regulator for suggesting the royals maybe shouldn’t breed dogs, and the Save Our Bacon Act refuses to die — because nothing dies in Congress, it just waits for a conference committee.

• Farm Action and the anti-factory farming alliance: Why a meat industry insider is terrified that animal rights groups and small farmers are finding common ground — and why that “subterfuge” is happening right out in the open.
• Dairy’s double bind — beef imports and the H-2A visa crisis: Dairy farmers now rely on beef-on-dairy calves for “survival,” immigrant workers produce 79% of US milk, and the Trump administration’s policies are pulling them in opposite directions.
• Colorado’s wolf “euthanasia” problem: Colorado released gray wolves to feel good about wilderness, then shot five of them for doing what wolves do. Now they’re “pulling back” — whatever that means.
• PETA vs. the royals: A complaint to the UK charity regulator claims PETA is too political for suggesting the Prince and Princess of Wales should have rescued instead of bred a dog. Because apparently advocating for animal welfare disqualifies you from being an animal welfare charity.
• The Save Our Bacon Act is not dead: Congress is still trying to overturn California’s Prop 12 through a conference committee, and the pork industry’s obsession with your right to gestation crate pork continues unabated.

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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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Award-winning undercover investigator Lindsay Oliver joins Jasmin and Mariann to discuss her groundbreaking work inside a national primate research center and her new memoir, Marshmallows Are Their Favorite: Undercover at a Primate Lab. Over a two-decade career spanning more than 100 investigations across factory farms, research labs, zoos, and circuses, Lindsay shares what it’s really like to go undercover in facilities where animals are used for experimentation — the psychological toll on investigators, the surprising emotional lives of the monkeys she came to know, and the complicated reality of the lab workers who care for them but feel trapped inside a system they can’t question.

• Inside a primate research lab: Lindsay describes what she witnessed working undercover at a facility confining over 5,000 monkeys — from the routine procedures like blood draws and TB testing to the devastating effects of lifelong solitary cage confinement on intelligent, emotional beings.
• The workers’ story: A major focus of the book and the conversation is the lab workers themselves — people who often took jobs as animal caretakers without fully understanding the reality of animal testing, and who experience moral injury, trauma, and fear of speaking out while working inside a system that discourages dissent.
• Justify — supporting lab workers: Lindsay explains why she founded Justify, an organization that provides a safe space for current and former lab workers to process their experiences, share their stories, and bridge the gap between the scientific community and animal advocacy movement.
• Animals International US and Toxicity.inc: Lindsay discusses her role as executive director of Animals International US, including the recent Toxicity.inc whistleblower exposé revealing what goes on inside UK labs owned by a US company — and why animal testing is a global problem, not someone else’s problem.
• Reasons for optimism: Lindsay shares why she feels more hopeful than ever about the movement to end animal research, citing shifts at the FDA, NIH investments in non-animal science, and a growing willingness within government agencies to question the status quo — plus what listeners can do to help, starting with leading with empathy instead of judgment.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

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Lindsay Oliver is an award-winning undercover investigator and the author of the new book, Marshmallows Are Their Favorite: Undercover at a Primate Lab. Over the past two decades, she has personally conducted or overseen more than 100 investigations inside research labs, animal agriculture, zoos, circuses, and other industries that exploit animals. She is the Executive Director of Animals International US and the founder and CEO of Justify.

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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann sit down with Gretchen Primack and Ella Magers to debrief the historic March to Abolish Animal Testing (MAAT) — a 207-mile trek from Albany to Marshall Bioresources, the country’s largest breeder of dogs for animal experimentation. The organizers share what it took to mobilize over 1,000 people in just three and a half months, how they made animal activism accessible to everyday animal lovers, the media breakthroughs, including New York Times and CBS National coverage, and what comes next as the movement prepares for MAAT 2.0.

• Inside the March to Abolish Animal Testing: How Gretchen Primack and Ella Magers organized a 207-mile march from Albany to Marshall Bioresources in North Rose, NY — a facility holding over 42,000 animals, including 16,000 dogs, mostly beagles, bred for experimentation
• Building an accessible activist movement: How the march empowered everyday people to show up on their own terms — whether for a few hours or the full route — with community care infrastructure like daily route guides, WhatsApp groups, evening events with live speakers and vegan food, and partnerships with local shelters and rescues
• Media breakthroughs for the anti-animal-testing movement: Coverage from The New York Times and CBS National, the flaws in the NYT reporting (including undercounting marchers by hundreds), and why mainstream press attention marks a turning point for the movement
• The “Until Every Cage Is Empty” tattoo story: How a free afternoon during the march led to a group of marchers getting matching tattoos at the country’s oldest vegan tattoo shop in Syracuse, and how Jasmin and Mariann got inked the same week
• What’s next — MAAT 2.0 and beyond: The COMPACT Act, introduced during the march, momentum building for future actions, and how listeners can get involved or support the movement through Our Hen House’s flock membership

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• March to Abolish Animal Testing

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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/985-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngMarshall BioResources is big mad about Our Hen House, the Animal Agriculture Alliance thinks animal activists are secretly swimming in a billion dollars, and a UK newspaper is very upset that PETA has the audacity to care about sheep. Meanwhile, a Smithfield plant worker becomes the fourth death on the job, a rancher writes a whole essay pretending climate change isn’t why the beef herd is shrinking, and scientists are scrambling to prove animal testing can never end. Plus, Republicans are quietly making animal rights a winning political issue while Democrats are apparently too busy to notice.

• Marshall BioResources vs. Our Hen House: The animal testing company left a comment accusing the show of “dangerous disinformation” and name-dropped the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act to sound scary — which, as Mariann notes, conveniently ignores the statute’s own First Amendment protection clause.
• The “Billion-Dollar Activist Network” myth: The Animal Agriculture Alliance tallied up every penny donated to every animal cause ever and arrived at $1.07 billion, which sounds amazing until you realize most of it is money that no grassroots activist has ever seen.
• New Scientist says animal testing “cannot and will not” end: The scientific establishment is getting nervous that governments are actually talking about phasing it out, so they’re recycling the argument that curiosity justifies cruelty — an argument that would also, technically, justify experimenting on humans.
• Fourth worker death at Smithfield: Management told employees to just keep working after a colleague was killed on the job, prompting a walkout. Slaughterhouses see roughly two amputations per week in the U.S., because the danger isn’t limited to the animals.
• Animal rights as the last bipartisan issue: A Current Affairs discussion explores how Republicans are claiming animal rights as their own while Democrats haven’t caught up, making this arguably the only issue in Washington where both sides could actually agree — if anyone bothered to try.

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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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

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In this episode of The Animal Law Podcast, Mariann Sullivan speaks with Eric Glitzenstein, Director of Litigation at the Center for Biological Diversity, about what he calls the most extreme attack on the Endangered Species Act in its history. They break down two unprecedented actions by the Trump administration: the elimination of the long-standing regulatory definition of “harm” that protected endangered species’ habitat from destruction, and the invocation of the so-called “God Squad” — a cabinet-level committee that can exempt entire industries from the ESA — to shield all oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico from endangered species protections. Both moves target the core mechanisms of the law and could hasten the extinction of species like the Rice’s whale, of which only about 50 remain.

In this episode, we cover:

• The rescission of the “harm” definition — how the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service eliminated decades of regulatory protection for habitat, adopting Justice Scalia’s dissenting opinion from the 1995 Sweet Home case and using the Loper Bright decision as justification
• The God Squad’s first invocation in 40 years — how Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared a “national security” exemption for all Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities, based not on any actual operational curtailment but on the mere prospect of future citizen lawsuits
• The legal challenges underway — five cases challenging the harm definition rescission across federal courts, plus the Center for Biological Diversity’s suit over the God Squad’s rubber-stamp exemption, including a key jurisdictional fight over whether cases belong in district court or the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• How the two actions intersect — the shell game of claiming habitat is protected under other ESA provisions while simultaneously gutting those same provisions through national security exemptions
• What concerned citizens can do — how to educate yourself, raise public awareness during an election year, advocate for state and local protections as federal safeguards erode, and support the organizations fighting these rollbacks in court

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Eric Glitzenstein is the Director of Litigation at the Center for Biological Diversity, a national conservation organization dedicated to preventing human-caused extinctions and protecting life on Earth. The Center has more than 80 attorneys nationwide who litigate in federal and state courts on a wide variety of wildlife protection and other issues. Mr. Glitzenstein oversees and coordinates the Center’s litigation of cases brought under the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and many other statutes on which the Center’s attorneys rely to further the protection of wildlife and imperiled ecosystems. Prior to working with the Center, Eric was the co-founder (with Katherine Meyer) and Managing Partner of the D.C.-based firm Meyer & Glitzenstein, one of the nation’s leading public-interest law firms. On behalf of both national and grassroots non-profit organizations, the firm specialized in the protection of wildlife and captive animals, environmental and natural resource conservation, and open government cases, among other issues. In addition to managing the firm and mentoring the firm’s new attorneys, Mr. Glitzenstein was lead counsel in many wildlife cases in federal courts throughout the country, including in various U.S. Courts of Appeals and in the U.S. Supreme Court.

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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https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.pngYou can listen to the Animal Law Podcast directly on our website (at the top of this page) or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would consider making a donation or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Don’t forget to also listen to the award-winning, weekly signature OHH podcast — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

In this episode of The Hen Report from Our Hen House, hosts Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan unpack the growing differences in approaches within the animal protection movement between some large organizations and some grassroots activists. They examine how some major groups are currently framing their “end factory farming” missions — often without naming a clear end state or using the word “vegan” — and whether big-donor funding is quietly steering the movement’s strategy. The conversation also covers inspiring grassroots actions, from a 207-mile march targeting Marshall Bioresources to vegan advocacy reaching over a million viewers on YouTube.

• Inside the “two movements” of animal protection: Why the gap between approaches of top-down organizations and grassroots activists may be wider than ever — and whether that’s a problem or an opportunity.
• “End factory farming” — A closer look at how groups like The Humane League, Mercy For Animals, Compassion in World Farming, and Farm Forward state (or elide) their ultimate goals, and why the word “vegan” is often missing.
• Follow the money: How a small number of funders may be shaping the movement’s theory of change, and what that means for activists who don’t fit the big-tent agenda.
• Grassroots wins worth celebrating: Mariel’s appearance on The Financial Diet sparks real dietary change among viewers, a 207-mile march demands a criminal investigation of Marshall Bioresources, and Florida activists use the bear hunt lottery system to save lives.
• Tools and events for activists: Alison Argo’s new film Forever Home (streaming Sept 26–Oct 3), Vegan Creator Con’s new training challenge, and a study showing how social support makes reducing meat consumption easier.

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• Marshall BioResources Faces Call for Criminal Investigation
• Vegan Creator Con NEW CHALLENGE LAUNCHING!
• Hunters and activists vie for permits for controversial Florida black bear hunt
• Study Reveals That Social Support Could Make Eating Less Meat Easier
• Forever Home film
• Rally at the Gates
• March to Abolish Animal Testing

• 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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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/983-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThis week, Mariann Sullivan is in a mood — and who can blame her? A fashion industry executive body-slams PETA protesters at a runway show, and The New York Post wants you to feel bad about a foie gras ban. The FAA is investigating the drone pilots who keep catching ranchers in the act of abusing animals. Plus: screwworm makes a comeback, anthrax shows back up in South Dakota, the UK Countryside Alliance thinks gambling affordability checks are the greatest threat to the countryside, and a lifelong livestock “advocate” develops a red meat allergy and wants you to feel terrible about it.

• CFDA chief Steven Kolb physically attacks PETA protesters at a COS runway show over wool — turns out being vegetarian and anti-fur doesn’t automatically make you the good guy when someone points out the cruelty you’re still funding.
• New York Post editorial demands NYC lift its foie gras ban, arguing that breeding more ducks and geese to force-feed them is somehow doing the birds a favor.
• FAA investigates drone pilot Joseph Allman for filming animal abuse at California cattle ranches, while simultaneously proposing rules to ban drone flights over agricultural facilities — because the truth is bad for business.
• Disease watch: Screwworm resurfaces in New Mexico as cattle trade resumes, and South Dakota reports its first anthrax case of the year in a cow-calf herd.
• Alpha-gal syndrome strikes a Missouri “livestock advocate” who can no longer eat the red meat she spent her life raising — the Pork Business network is devastated, the rest of us are not

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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http://ourhenhouse.org/supporthttps://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png

Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Marie Gibbons, co-founder and CEO of VeriBark, joins Our Hen House to explain how her AI-powered app analyzes over 130 dog body signals and vocalizations to help pet parents understand what their dogs are really communicating. The conversation digs into the science behind animal body language, the ethics of using AI in animal advocacy, and VeriBark’s ambitious roadmap to expand beyond dogs into cats and, eventually, farmed animals like chickens and pigs, with the goal of building empathy that could reshape how people think about the animals they eat.

• How VeriBark’s AI interprets dog behavior using body signals, vocalizations, and a peer-reviewed ethogram
• Why breed-specific morphology (like a Whippet’s tail position) can throw off behavioral interpretation
• The accuracy limits of AI-driven animal communication tools (currently 70–90%)
• VeriBark’s plans to expand into CatChat and farmed animal communication tools
• The ethical risks of AI “welfare washing” in animal agriculture — and how VeriBark aims to guard against misuse

ABOUT OUR GUEST

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Marie Gibbons’s life’s mission is to use science and technology to help animals. She spent more than two decades working in veterinary medicine and cultivated meat research, developing technologies to reduce reliance on factory farming and improve the lives of billions of animals. She’s the co-founder and CEO of VeriBark, using artificial intelligence to help people better understand what their dogs are communicating through body language and vocalizations, with the end goal of expanding this technology to farm animals and wildlife, helping humans build more empathy and compassion for all animals through a deeper understanding of how they communicate.

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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This week on The Hen Report, we talk with poet and activist Gretchen Primack and Sexy Fit Vegan founder Ella Magers about the March to Abolish Animal Testing — a 207-mile trek across upstate New York from Albany to Marshall BioResources, the country’s largest breeder of dogs, cats, ferrets, and pigs for animal experimentation. They dig into the logistics of supporting dozens of marchers, the emotional and physical sacrifices involved, and why this grassroots movement could be a turning point for ending animal testing for good.

• The March to Abolish Animal Testing: A 207-mile, two-week march from Albany, NY to Marshall BioResources protesting animal testing on dogs, cats, ferrets, and pigs
• Marshall BioResources exposed: New whistleblower evidence reveals conditions at the facility, home to over 16,000 beagles and 45,000+ animals bred for experimentation
• Grassroots organizing in action: How a 3-month-old idea became a fully logistics-supported march with food teams, team captains, and nightly community events
• A public, arrest-free protest strategy: Why the march is intentionally 100% law abiding and focused on public pressure and legislative change rather than civil disobedience
• Get involved: How listeners can join the walk, attend the September 26th finale at Marshall BioResources, organize solidarity walks, or follow along via @MarchforAnimals and Unchained TV

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RESOURCES

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• March to Abolish Animal Testing

• 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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Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.

Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!

Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook,Instagram,TikTok, or Bluesky.

The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.