PETA Calls Out ASPCA, Humane Society of the U.S. for Endorsing Factory Farms, Bogus ‘Humane’ Meat Program

For Immediate Release:
September 5, 2024

Contact:
Rachel Hershkovitz 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. –

The world’s largest animal rights organization is calling out three of the largest animal welfare groups for their endorsement of a deceptive “humane” meat, egg, and dairy certification program that props up factory farms. PETA sent a letter this week urging leaders from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States, and Compassion in World Farming to step down from the board of directors of Global Animal Partnership, a humane-washing program that enables animal-exploiting companies to slap misleading “animal welfare certified” labels on their products—even though PETA investigators have documented widespread and systemic cruelty and suffering at all 12 certified facilities they visited.

At Global Animal Partnership–approved Plainville Farms, PETA’s investigation documented that workers kicked, beat, and threw turkeys and left sick and injured birds to suffer without treatment. PETA’s investigation into Plainville Farms resulted in former workers being charged with a total of 141 counts of cruelty to animals, including six felonies—the largest number in any factory-farmed animal case in U.S. history—and 10 workers have been convicted. At another certified facility, Sweet Stem Farm, an investigator found pigs crammed into severely crowded sheds on concrete floors and with painful, bloody rectal prolapses as large as an orange that were left untreated.

*Pigs crammed into a shed at Sweet Stem Farm. The company was “animal welfare certified” by Global Animal Partnership at the time. Credit: PETA*

*Plainville Farms workers abusing turkeys. The company was “animal welfare certified” by Global Animal Partnership at the time this video was recorded. Credit: PETA*

“An animal welfare group signing off on ‘humane’ meat is like an oncologist endorsing a tobacco company,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the leadership of the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States, and Compassion in World Farming to stop betraying animals and duping consumers by putting their seal of approval on this bogus branding scheme and is urging everyone to do the only thing that will stop animal abuse on farms—go vegan.”

PETA points out that while the organizations’ leaders may have hoped being on the Global Animal Partnership board would provide an opportunity to improve animal welfare on factory farms, the initiative has been a complete failure—as others have been in the past. In fact, PETA was on the board when the organization was founded but left when it became clear that the initiative was never going to reduce animal suffering. Another animal welfare group, Farm Forward, also later resigned from the board.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. The group also offers a free vegan starter kit on its website for anyone ready to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.