Protecting Birds at Slaughter
In August 2020, the Animal Welfare Institute and its co-plaintiff Farm Sanctuary sued the US Department of Agriculture for denying a petition for rulemaking requesting that the department require humane handling of birds to prevent...
Ending the Slaughter of Nonambulatory Pigs
In February 2020, AWI, along with Farm Sanctuary, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Outlook, Compassion in World Farming, Farm Forward, and Mercy For Animals, sued the US Department of Agriculture and its Food Safety and...
Increasing Government Transparency to Improve Humane Slaughter Enforcement
AWI and Farm Sanctuary sued the US Department of Agriculture in 2018 for failing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for department records related to the treatment of animals in US...
Improving Humane Slaughter of Livestock under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
In early 2008, multiple instances of egregious cruelty to cattle at the Westland-Hallmark Meat Packing Co. in Chino, California, caught on videotape by animal protection advocates, resulted in widespread public outrage and eventually led to...
Increasing Transparency in Food Labeling
In 2014, AWI petitioned the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to amend labeling regulations under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) to require independent third-party certification...
Protection of Wild Horses
Through this litigation, AWI and other groups seek to prevent the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from conducting surgical sterilization experiments on federally protected wild horses in Oregon. In May of 2018, the BLM announced...
Protection of Canada Lynx
The Animal Welfare Institute and its co-plaintiffs brought claims against the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for allowing trappers in Maine to seriously injure and kill Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), a federally...
Protection of California Wildlife
In November 2014, the Animal Welfare Institute and its co-plaintiffs brought claims against Mendocino County, California, for violating the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The lawsuit alleged that Mendocino County failed to conduct legally required...
Protection of Long Island White-Tailed Deer
The Animal Welfare Institute and its co-plaintiffs brought this suit under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules in an attempt to enjoin the town of Southold from giving up to $25,000 to...
Protection of Ocelots
In May 2016, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the US Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program over the government’s failure to ensure that...