ASPCA grant funding to support end to US factory farming

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The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has announced that through the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming, the organization will provide $100,000 in grant funding accessible to US organizations and institutions this year.

According to an organizational release,¹ this funding strives to produce breakthrough formal or informal research, evidence, reports, and narratives, that further emphasize the need to leave behind conventional, confinement-based animal agriculture. The grants will vary from $15,000 to $25,000 to support projects raising awareness of this while promoting more humane, healthy, and sustainable on-farm practices in favor of consuming more plant-based foods.

According to the ASPCA,² there are over 1.6 billion chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals raised for food nationwide, while 10 billion farm animals are slaughtered each year. Most of these animals are raised on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), or "factory farms," which can house tens to hundreds of thousands of animals in overly crowded conditions. This inhumane practice is also a key contributor to climate change and a potential threat to the health and well-being of workers, farmers, and local communities.2 However, only loose laws and regulations exist to oversee these facilities.

"The lack of transparency around industrial animal agriculture's harms has allowed this cruel form of animal production to dominate our food system," said Daisy Freund, vice president of farm animal welfare at the ASPCA, in the release.

"To activate policymakers, food companies, and individuals, we need to shine a light on how destructive the status quo really is and quantify the benefits of more compassionate, sustainable farming practices. The ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming will support the broad community of researchers, advocates, and businesses that are proving there is a better way forward for animals, people, and the environment."

For the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming, eligible proposals calculate the financial burden factory farming puts on individuals or communities; unveil new advantages of more humane and sustainable food production to the environment, public health, local economies, and worker or farmer wellness; and showcase innovative methods to help farmers transition from conventional animal agriculture to higher-welfare and plant-based farming practices.¹

Applications for the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming are open from June 1, 2022, through July 18, 2022. Go here for more information.

References

1. ASPCA launches $100,000 in new grant funding to support the movement to end factory farming in the United States. News release. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. June 1, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aspca-launches-100-000-in-new-grant-funding-to-support-the-movement-to-end-factory-farming-in-the-united-states-301558591.html
2. Factory farming: a recipe for disaster for animals & our planet. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.aspca.org/protecting-farm-animals/animals-factory-farms