Coming Home to Roost: How the Chicken Industry Hurts Chickens, Humans, and the Environment

Authors

Bruce Friedrich
Stefanie Wilson

First Page

103

Abstract

The chicken industry is harming animals, befouling our environment, exploiting farmers and workers, and harming human health. In this Article, we discuss the harms and some of the solutions. In Part I, we discuss animal welfare, both on the farm and at slaughter. In Part II, we discuss the environment, both local and global. In Part III, we discuss human rights, with a focus on chicken growers, slaughterhouse workers, and the global poor. In Part IV, we discuss the effect of chicken consumption on human health. In each of our first four Sections, we offer a few examples of actions that creative lawyers are taking in an effort to mitigate some of the discussed harm. Finally, in Part V, we discuss our belief that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ‘captured’ by the industries it is supposed to regulate, leading to under-regulation. We conclude that, while the tireless efforts of lawyers, activists, and organizations to ameliorate industry and agency failures are critical, the best that can be done through litigation and other forms of policy action is to mitigate the harm caused by the poultry industry.

Recommended Citation

Bruce Friedrich & Stefanie Wilson, Coming Home to Roost: How the Chicken Industry Hurts Chickens, Humans, and the Environment, 22 Animal L. Rev. 103 (2015).
Available at: https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/alr/vol22/iss1/5