News

Farm Forward, joined by Friends of the Earth, Earthjustice, and more than 30 allied organizations, filed a petition calling on USDA to make anaerobic digesters at industrial animal operations ineligible for funding from the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

The factory farm gas industry—backed by major meat and dairy corporations—continues to thrive not because of market demand or climate benefits, but because of government-sponsored greenwashing. What was once sold as a climate solution is increasingly exposed as a thinly veiled subsidy to prop up industrial animal agriculture. And the latest boost comes courtesy of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

We were proud to play a part in federal legislation reintroduced today: the Enabling Farmer, Food worker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable (EFFECTIVE) Food Procurement Act of 2025. Put forward by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), this legislation would direct and support USDA to leverage billions of dollars to help build a more just, healthy, and sustainable food system.

Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken is an American icon. However, behind the low price lies a hidden story of the company’s chronic salmonella contamination and animal welfare abuses.

This Thanksgiving, the cost of putting turkey on the table is going up, thanks not just to inflation or supply chain issues, but to the ongoing bird flu epidemic ravaging U.S. factory farms and the failure of both government and industry to control it.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of warmth, gratitude, and home-cooked meals shared around the table—not a trip to the emergency room. Yet the turkey at the center of America’s favorite holiday may come with a hidden danger: salmonella.

Consider the raw chicken you pick up at the grocery store for dinner. It might be one of many packages that the CDC says could be contaminated with Salmonella.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service—the federal agency tasked with protecting the public from foodborne illness—is failing in its mandate by allowing high rates of Salmonella contamination to enter the national food supply.

Some of the most recognizable chicken and poultry brands sell products from slaughter and processing plants that fail USDA’s salmonella standards, allowing large volumes of contaminated meat to enter the food supply. How can you tell?

Even though USDA organic standards prohibit the use of antibiotics and other synthetic drugs in livestock production, no institution consistently verifies that these substances don’t end up in the final products.

The agricultural industry has created a two-tiered pollution system, where California’s cattle feedlots can cause premature deaths through air pollution without facing the same environmental oversight that applies to every other major polluting industry.

A USDA investigation has validated Farm Forward allegations against Alexandre Family Farm, confirming violations of organic and animal welfare standards. USDA moved to suspend Alexandre’s organic certification and placed the company under heightened oversight. The agency’s final report on the truth of our allegations—obtained by Farm Forward through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request—confirms abuses and regulatory breaches that Alexandre had long denied, until compelled by the investigation and inspection records to admit wrongdoing.

Tariffs may be headline-grabbing, they can distract from a deeper issue: many countries simply don’t want U.S. meat because of how it’s produced.

In April 2025, consumers experienced a slight relief in egg prices, sparking widespread discussions. Despite the welcomed decrease, prices remain at historic highs. The question on everyone’s mind is, why? The answer lies in the persistent presence of bird flu.

The overuse of antibiotics in industrial animal agriculture is a major driver of the antimicrobial resistance crisis—and yet, meat companies and U.S. regulatory agencies have repeatedly failed to act.

Whole Foods is knowingly deceiving consumers by selling meat raised with antibiotics under their “no antibiotics, ever” promise.

Farm Forward revealed that trusted beef brands like Tyson, Cargill, and JBS have been deceiving consumers by continuing to sell products that are not antibiotic-free under Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) labels.

The fraud, corruption, and systemic animal abuses of Alexandre Family Farm revealed by Farm Forward have resulted in the filing of a consumer class action lawsuit against the mega-dairy. Humane Farm Animal Care, the group behind the “Certified Humane” label, has also been sued as part of the action. This civil case follows a criminal case brought against Alexandre in California in late 2024.

Today, the fraud, corruption, and systemic animal abuses of Alexandre Family Farm revealed by Farm Forward resulted in the filing of a consumer class action lawsuit against the mega-dairy. Humane Farm Animal Care, the group behind the “Certified Humane” label, has also been sued as part of the action. This civil case follows a criminal case brought against Alexandre in California in late 2024.

Three years into the outbreak and amidst outrageous increases in egg prices, the United States Department of Agriculture continues to make dangerous payouts to big companies and delay corrective action.

New pushes for manure biogas, also known as Factory Farm Gas, risk cementing factory farming’s worst practices.

While inflation has impacted all food categories, two significant factors have disproportionately driven up animal product prices: the devastating impact of avian influenza, and systematic price manipulation by major meat producers.

During the last decade, regenerative agriculture has received a lot of attention as a form of farming that promises environmental benefits compared to industrial farming systems. While regenerative agriculture can improve soil quality and soil microbiome, it is far from being a silver bullet for climate change—and has its own drawbacks.

Farm Forward is deeply alarmed by the first bird flu death recorded in the United States. The federal government must act to get the outbreak under control.

Farm Forward is proud to announce the launch of a new nonprofit, the Center for Jewish Food Ethics (CJFE)—the culmination of our eight years of incubation and support for farmed animal advocacy in the Jewish community.

Three U.S. Senators, working closely with Farm Forward, have urged the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to strengthen its guidelines on animal welfare and environmental labeling claims, citing widespread deception in food marketing that harms both consumers and independent farmers.

Farm Forward has long warned that industrial farming practices are a major driver of zoonotic diseases. Recent bird flu cases in humans underscore the urgent need for meaningful action.

A bill has been introduced in the Michigan legislature that would enrich factory farms. Numerous environmental groups, among many others, oppose it.

Farm Forward strongly endorses the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act, along with over 100 environmental, public health, family farmer, consumer, and animal protection organizations.

A coalition of environmental and animal protection groups gathered in Lansing to oppose a bill in Michigan that would enrich factory farming and fossil fuel interests.

The government is freaking us out on bird flu. It’s not what they’re saying—it’s what they are not saying.

A USDA testing program finds that at least 20 percent of tested cattle samples labeled “raised without antibiotics” or “no antibiotics ever” tested positive for antibiotics. USDA buries findings and reports no punitive action.

Antimicrobial Resistance is an increasing threat to human and animal health. Solving the problem requires significant reforms to agricultural policy and industrial animal farming practices. Yet, the largest international One Health programs largely fail to acknowledge industrial animal farming as a key threat to the One Health mission.

Even as the seriousness of the bird flu outbreak increases, the government refuses to address the underlying cause: factory farming.

Pressure is building on Alexandre Farm a month after the release of Farm Forward’s investigation into their harmful dairy farming practices as new alarming photos and videos emerge.