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How Factory Farms Supercharge Harmful Bacteria
The rapid growth of chickens — now, 31 billion globally — has sped up pathogen evolution, boosting persistence, antibiotic resistance and spillover to humans.
Health•3 min read
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News
Michigan Regulators Approve Mega-Dairy in Pollution Hotspot
Michigan is giving a green light to a new industrial dairy operation that would add millions of gallons of animal waste to a region where water quality is already suffering.
Climate•5 min read
News
Amazon Data Center Slated for NC Town With Devastating Industrial History
In the North Carolina Sandhills, a sprawling data center project threatens to repeat the past, stirring memories of a chicken processing plant disaster.
Climate•8 min read
News
The World Bank Is Pouring Billions of Dollars into Large-scale Factory Farms
A new report finds development banks’ $13 billion investment in industrial animal agriculture clashes with their climate goals.
Food•5 min read
News
Why Some Plant-Based Foods Have a Longer Ingredient List
Additives can give plant-based foods the taste, texture and mouthfeel of hamburgers, ice cream or other meat and dairy products.
Health•4 min read
News
Roundup’s Surprising Connection to Industrial Meat
The one thing glyphosate has in common with the screwworm outbreak, deforestation, climate change and bird flu.
Legal Action•7 min read
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Part of ‘the Family’: When the Beef Industry Mentors Climate Scientists
A growing body of research scrutinizes how the meat industry can shape scientific research.
Food•7 min read
News
Veterinarians Press Congress to Preserve State Animal Welfare Laws
Signed by more than 700 vets, the letter was sent Monday to Senate and House leaders and Agricultural Committee chairs in both chambers.
Policy•3 min read
News
U.S. Is Backing Anaerobic Digesters. Scientists and Advocates Say Stronger Guardrails Are Needed.
There are no federal methane standards for manure digesters, leaving operators to rely on voluntary guidance.
Climate•6 min read
News
Heat Stress Hits Dairy Quality as Well as Quantity, Study Finds
Extreme heat has changed what it takes to produce a glass of milk.
Climate•8 min read
News
What ICE Arrests Looked Like in Farm Counties Last Year
While the numbers are small compared to the overall arrests, data obtained by the Deportation Data Project show farm counties saw an increase in ICE arrests last year as the…
Policy•4 min read
News
Is the EU About To Give the Meat Industry a Pass on Methane Emissions?
Calling it “biogenic methane” is a red flag for climate scientists.
Climate•10 min read
News
USDA to Repeal Rules Protecting Chicken Farmers From Discrimination and Deceptive Business Practices
The department quietly reversed course on Biden-era rulings meant to enforce equal treatment and transparency on how meat companies pay farmers.
Meat Lobby•5 min read
News
U.S. and Mexico Unveil A New Weapon To Fight Screwworm, the Parasite Threatening Cattle Herds
New facility in southern Mexico will crank out 100 million sterile screwworms a week.
Health•5 min read
News
How Trump’s Fishing Expansion Threatens Pacific Waters
Beyond environmental risks, advocates say the move reflects a continuing pattern of federal authorities disregarding meaningful consultation with local communities.
Policy•9 min read
News
Who’s To Blame for Screwworm’s Return to the U.S.?
Democrats and Republicans are pointing fingers at each other, but the truth is murkier.
Policy•8 min read
News
Senate Ag Committee Farm Bill Spares Animal Welfare Law, for Now
The controversial Save Our Bacon Act has been omitted from the text of the latest Farm Bill proposal.
Factory Farms•6 min read
News
Trump Has Decimated a Vital Ocean Monitoring Program. What Does It Mean for Fisheries?
Removing the instruments could leave gaps in tracking ocean acidification, climate change and oxygen levels — changes that increasingly affect fisheries.
Climate•8 min read
News
Over 1,700 Cargill Meatpacking Workers Locked Out After Demanding Bathroom Breaks
The largest privately held company in the United States is refusing to concede to workers’ demands for more dignified workplace conditions, including protected bathroom breaks.
Food•9 min read
News
This Key Tool Could Protect Whales and Dolphins Worldwide. Advocates Want the U.S. to Use it.
Stronger enforcement of U.S. import law could spare marine mammals from deadly fishing gear around the world, advocates say.
Fisheries & Aquaculture•5 min read
News
The Flesh-Eating Pest That Once Cost Ranchers Millions Is Back
New World screwworm’s long-dreaded arrival in the U.S. jeopardizes a 40-year-old agricultural victory.
Health•5 min read
News
An Iowa Town Spent $800,000 on a New Well. It Pumps Undrinkable Water.
After shuttering two wells for recurring nitrate contamination, the riverside community of Princeton may face yet another costly fix.
Health•9 min read
News
Breeding Climate-Friendly Livestock May Come at the Expense of Farm Animal Welfare
A new report argues that focusing solely on climate emissions can result in breeding programs that increase animal suffering.
Climate•5 min read
News
The Meat Industry Is Funding Studies That Claim Meat Is Good For You
A whopping 75% of studies with meat industry funding reported “favorable” nutritional results associated with eating meat.
Food•5 min read
News
USDA Extends Pause on Loans for Controversial Digesters That Turn Manure Into Biogas
Anaerobic digester loans showed “significant delinquency rates,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, while environmental groups see the technology driving an expansion of large-scale animal farming operations.
Climate•6 min read
News
China’s Shark Finning Could Lead to U.S. Seafood Sanctions
A petition to the U.S. government highlights China’s illegal shark fin trade and calls for sanctions on Chinese seafood imports.
Fisheries & Aquaculture•7 min read
News
EU Pledges to Block Animal-Sourced Food Imports From Brazil Over Antibiotic Use, But the Move May Have Little Actual Effect
The political back-and-forth resurfaces industrial animal agriculture’s contribution to the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Farms•5 min read
News
Why Is Drug-Resistant Salmonella Breaking Out in Backyard Chicken Flocks so Far Apart?
The outbreak has hit 31 states, with 184 infections and one death. About 30% of cases have been in children under 5.
Health•3 min read
News
Iowa Senate Approves Bill Making it Harder to Sue Factory Farms For Polluting
If passed by the governor, the bill would protect farms from lawsuits surrounding their greenhouse gas emissions.
Factory Farms•4 min read
News
Organic Dairies Say Federal Pricing System Costs Them Millions
A series of lawsuits argues an obsolete profit-sharing system is subsidizing industrial dairy farms.
Factory Farms•5 min read
News
With Fertilizer Pollution on the Rise, Iowa Will Invest $100 Million in Water Treatment
After years of worsening water quality, the move marks Gov. Kim Reynolds’ first official action to tackle harmful agricultural nutrients in state waterways. Critics say it’s “too little too late.”
Climate•4 min read
News
Almost 20 Percent of Americans Are Drinking Nitrate Contaminated Water
A new analysis links manure and the overapplication of fertilizer from agriculture to contaminated water, and suggests the EPA’s allowed limits are too high to prevent nitrate-related cancer, thyroid disease…
Health•4 min read
News
U.S. Moves Closer to Blocking Illegal Seafood Imports
The FISH Act would allow the government to blacklist and seize ships involved in illegal fishing or forced labor.
Fisheries & Aquaculture•6 min read
News
Watchdog Group Alleges Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins Violated Ethics Rules
The Campaign Legal Center said in a report released Thursday that Brooke Rollins remained close with former employers, which could violate the ethics agreement she signed. The USDA called the…
Policy•6 min read
News
Most Agree Fungi-Based Food Is A Greener, Meat-Like Protein
Survey says majority agree fungi-based foods are sustainable meat alternatives with a protein profile that’s similar to meat, despite knowledge gaps around the reasons why.
Research•5 min read
News
The Columbia River Is Polluted. Are Fish Farms Making It Worse?
Environmental groups are suing one of the largest seafood companies in the country over alleged aquaculture pollution to the Columbia River.
Fisheries & Aquaculture•7 min read
News
Is Trump’s New ‘Office of Seafood’ a Shell Game?
The new USDA division wants to grow the seafood industry, but critics worry dismantling regulations will achieve the opposite.
Policy•5 min read
News
Great White Sharks Are Overheating
“The most acute, urgent crisis these animals face is from overfishing, and particularly now from bycatch.”
Research•4 min read
News
98% Greenwashing: Big Meat Follows in Big Oil’s Footsteps
Analysis of 33 top global meat and dairy companies finds nearly all use misleading messaging and promote baseless ‘sustainable’ initiatives.
Climate•6 min read
News
Less Salmon, More Oysters: Aquaculture Could Reduce its Climate Impact by Embracing Bivalves and Seaweed
Most farmed seafood comes from fin fish, but a new study urges shifting production toward bivalves and seaweed.
Fisheries & Aquaculture•5 min read
News
Old-Growth European Forests Are More Crucial Than Thought for Carbon Storage
A Swedish study reveals carbon losses up to 8 times greater than previous estimates, suggesting that protecting primary forests is more critical for climate mitigation.
Climate•4 min read
News
Massive Manure-to-Energy Project Raises Environmental Justice Concerns in Washington State
Residents say a large biodigester project risks worsening pollution and inequities in Yakima Valley, a predominantly Latino community.
Climate•7 min read
News
Farmers Still Fight to Rebuild Topsoil After Hurricane Helene in 2024
Helene caused $4.9 billion in damage to North Carolina’s agriculture sector alone, and washed away vital soil in southern Appalachia, with landslides and floods from 30 inches of rain.
Climate•17 min read
News
A New Immigration Strategy Shakes Agro-Industrial Rural Towns
A Supreme Court decision is pushing immigration enforcement beyond jobsites into rural towns. A US citizen says an ICE agent told him: ‘We have the right to assume that you’re…
Policy•14 min read
News
Cancer Rates Are Higher Near Factory Farms, Study Finds
In California, Texas and Iowa, cancer rates are 4-8% higher in areas with more industrial animal agriculture.
Health•5 min read
News
Critics Call the Poultry Farming System Rigged. Craig Watts Is Fighting to Overturn It.
As Watts’ legal battle drags on, the Trump administration moves to delay a Biden-era rule designed to reform how farmers get paid.
Food•13 min read
News
Big Meat’s Ties to USDA Top Official Revealed
Mindy Brashears, USDA’s food safety lead, has deep financial and advisory affiliations to the industry she regulates, a new ProPublica database shows.
Meat Lobby•5 min read
News
Manure Digesters Help Cut Methane — But They Also Leak
On average, methane emissions fell by about 25%. But methane leaks from manure digesters can be so potent that they need to be constantly monitored, researchers say.
Research•6 min read
News
More Crops Grown for Fuel and Livestock Feed Than for People, New Study Finds
Cutting back on beef and biofuels could help improve food security and mitigate climate emissions.
Food•4 min read
News
Plan for Largest Dairy in Minnesota History Raises Water and Pollution Concerns
Riverview’s mega-dairy expansion in Morris would store 250 million gallons of liquid manure and use water volumes equal to 75% of the local supply.
Climate•4 min read
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Sentient investigates and explains factory farms and their effect on climate, the environment, animals, health, politics and rural communities.