Student Innovation Is Helping Farmed Animals

Industrial animal agriculture, including aquaculture, is extremely detrimental for the well-being of animals, human health, and the environment. The confinement and overcrowding of animals in intensive animal food production operations result in immense suffering, depriving trillions of land and aquatic animals of their natural physiological and social behaviors. Industrial animal agriculture also poses significant threats to human health, such as the increased risk of spreading zoonotic diseases. From an environmental perspective, industrial animal agriculture is a major contributor to deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Farmed Animal Protection Project provides an exciting experiential opportunity for students to advance their knowledge and skills to advocate for farmed animals through individual projects, using legal tools to safeguard farmed animal interests.

Supervised by Visiting Assistant Professor Hira Jaleel, who is an alumna of the Animal Law LLM Program, individual projects allow students an opportunity to work on farmed animal issues they are most passionate about, while advancing the goal of protecting farmed animals, the environment and public health from the harms inflicted by the industrial animal agriculture system. In the 2024-2025 academic year, students worked on a range of creative projects, including drafting op-eds, rulemaking petitions, public comments and conducting research on cutting-edge legal issues in farmed animal protection law. In addition to these individual projects, students collaboratively worked on a white paper exploring litigation strategies challenging the harms of industrial animal agriculture in Global South countries.

We are proud to showcase some of this work below and in this short highlight video as well as the full interview with Professor Jaleel here.

Egg-Laying Hens

Consumers in the United States are well familiar with the confusing array of labels on egg cartons. From ‘cage-free’, ‘free-range’ to ‘humane’ and beyond, it can be virtually impossible to parse through the meaning behind animal raising claims on egg labels. Brittany Bennet, 2027 JD Candidate, is passionate about raising awareness for egg-laying hens and helping consumers make more compassionate choices. For her individual project, she chose to focus on legal research to decipher the legal framework behind egg labeling in the United States and to suggest improvements centering consumer interests and animal welfare. She describes her project:

“I researched and drafted an article evaluating the federal regulatory framework of egg label claims. Specifically, my project focused on animal raising and welfare claims for egg-laying hens. Labels such as “free-range” and “cage-free” adorn egg packaging with little explanation of what these terms mean or how hens’ welfare is considered. These claims, and many others, have no legal definition establishing specific requirements. Between the handful of federal agencies and sub-agencies involved with regulation and the abundance of different labels found on egg cartons, it can be unclear to consumers what these labels are claiming in regards to egg production. This uncertainty is a problem because many consumers care about humane treatment and want to buy products that reflect their values.

The reality of hens’ welfare in industrial animal agriculture does not align with many consumers’ perceptions of how these animals are actually raised. Current regulations are inadequate at protecting consumers and ensuring accurate representation of animal welfare standards. My recommendations are:

• The promulgation of new regulations is needed to create stricter requirements for animal raising and welfare claims on egg labels.

• Before entering commerce, claims should be legally defined and subject to comprehensive approval and verification by federal agencies.

• Consumers deserve to understand the labels marketed to them and what they’re buying, especially when there is demand for humane products.

• Egg producers abiding by better welfare practices directly improve the lives of hens, which helps push the animal protection movement forward. Overall, increasing minimum standards for egg labeling is beneficial to both consumers and egg-laying hens.”

Manure Biogas, Aquaculture, and Plant-based Alternatives

Raising public awareness and shaping government policies are two essential ways to protect farmed animals. Miranda Herreid, who graduated in May 2025, chose to focus on these pathways for her individual projects.

Miranda drafted an op-ed critiquing Oregon’s growing reliance on manure biogas as a supposed solution to the environmental harms of industrial dairy farming. While anaerobic digesters are promoted as a win-win by converting manure into energy and reducing methane emissions, Miranda’s article argues that this narrative is misleading. Manure biogas not only fails to address the primary source of methane, which is enteric fermentation from cows, but also incentivizes the expansion of factory farms, worsening emissions and animal suffering. Miranda’s piece was published by the Center for Animal Law Studies.

Miranda also drafted two public comments. The first comment, found here, was in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) call for comments about the development of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in federal waters off of Southern California. Opening up federal waters to intensive aquaculture could potentially have devastating consequences for public health, marine ecosystems and animal welfare. Miranda’s comment aims to bring these concerns before the agency. She shares the reason her particular focus on net pen aquaculture: “The welfare implications for net pen aquaculture are horrific, as these aquatic factory farms crowd together stressed fish in an unnatural environment, leading to sea lice and other adverse outcomes, and there is not any attention paid to the wellbeing of the fish.”

The second comment, found here, was submitted in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) call for comments on its Draft Guidelines for labeling of plant-based alternatives (PBAs). The draft guidelines aim to unnecessarily complicate labeling for plant-based alternatives, while failing to impose similar requirements for animal based products. Miranda shares the importance of this work:

“As animal advocates, we should be concerned about efforts to stymie the development of PBAs, as these products make plant-based lifestyles palatable for a wide range of consumers, and the more this industry grows, the costs for the products will fall, and the products themselves will become more analogous to the meat products they are crafted to substitute. Ultimately, this could displace the demand for meat and dairy products, lessening the number of animals raised in confinement.”

Stopping Factory Farms in Africa

In many jurisdictions around the world, including the United States, legal standing i.e. the ability of a party to bring a case before the court, impedes the success of animal law cases. Oswald Marondedze (LLM’ 25) analyzed the legal standing requirements for farmed animal litigation in Zimbabwe, using a combination of constitutional, statutory, and case law frameworks. His work highlighted how Zimbabwean law currently treats animals as non-persons, which restricts their ability to be represented in court. The paper explored different types of standing: constitutional, personal interest, public interest and associational, and argued that public interest standing offers the most promising path for advancing farmed animal protection in the country. In addition to analyzing the legal standing framework in Zimbabwe, Oswald’s paper recommends codifying animal rights within the Constitution’s Bill of Rights and updating Zimbabwe’s substantive animal protection laws to allow for direct legal action.

Oswald also conducted research on land use laws in Zimbabwe, specifically focusing on the dueling tensions between laws that have historically served to disadvantage farmers in Zimbabwe while also inadvertently slowing down the spread of industrial animal agriculture in the country, indirectly benefiting animal welfare. Oswald shares how he hopes his project advances protections for farmed animals in Zimbabwe:

“Zimbabwe’s land policy has significantly shaped its political and socio-economic landscape, more than any other foreign or domestic policy. The objective of my paper is to contribute to a deeper comprehension of the intricate interplay between land policy and animal welfare. Ultimately, the research aims to provide evidence-based policy recommendations that strike a balance between human development and animal welfare. By advocating for humane livestock management practices through zoning reforms, the study seeks to inform policy changes that promote sustainable and compassionate practices in the farmed animal industry.”

Ventilation Shutdown

The ongoing avian influenza outbreak in the United States has led to the mass culling, also called ‘depopulation’, of millions of poultry birds through cruel processes such as ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+). Given the key role of veterinarians behind setting U.S. depopulation policy, Valeria Picazo Zamarippa, (MSL ’25), who is a veterinarian, examined the legal framework governing depopulation methods in three countries, and explores the ethical dilemma this issue poses for veterinarians. Valeria shares the following about her project:

“I chose this topic because it’s not only timely—especially amid the ongoing avian influenza outbreak—but also deeply relevant to the future of animal welfare, veterinary medicine and public health. The ethical questions surrounding mass depopulation events are complex, and go beyond the wall of national boundaries.

The paper explores the methods currently used to slaughter poultry en masse, the rationale behind their use, and the pronounced welfare concerns they raise. I examine the legal frameworks in the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K., highlighting how veterinary professionals play a weighty, and somewhat paradoxical, role in the response to disease outbreaks. Beyond proposing more humane and effective depopulation methods, it calls for a deeper reflection on society’s responsibility to reconsider the impacts of an industry that is mainly fueled by consumer demand and governmental subsidies.”

Labeling Regulations

Labeling regulations are important to prevent misleading claims on meat, poultry, and egg products derived from industrial animal agriculture facilities such as CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations). Sarah Rae, JD 2025, drafted a rulemaking petition urging the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to amend its labeling regulations. Sarah says of the importance of this work:

“Humane washing facilitates consumer support of products from CAFOs even though research proves consumers would prefer humane conditions for the animals involved in the food system. The petition requested that the agency amend its regulations governing the labeling of meat, dairy, and poultry products, specifically by defining “farm” so that it distinguishes small-scale traditional farms from facilities that meet CAFO criterial; to include “farm-raised” claims, “pasture-raised” claims under its “special statements and claims” regulation, including claims that use or imply the product was derived from a traditional farm either through explicit or implied language, graphics, or sketches be subject to verification proving the facility meets the definition of a “farm”. This project was a wonderful experience in understanding animal law, administrative law, and food law. My participation in the project and the guidance and support I received enriched my understanding of animal advocacy in the farmed animal sphere.”

From research on highly relevant issues like manure biogas, depopulation, land use laws and labeling regulations to submitting public comments and crafting rulemaking petitions to move the regulatory needle in favor of animals, students in the Farmed Animal Protection Project have undertaken outstanding work this past academic year. Professor Hira Jaleel, who leads the Farmed Animal Protection Project, says that: “These novel and creative projects illustrate that the future of farmed animal advocacy is bright, with a lot we still need to do to meaningfully protect vulnerable animals in the food system.”

The Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS) was founded in 2008 with a mission to educate the next generation of animal law advocates and advance animal protection through the law. With vision and bold risk-taking, CALS has since developed into a world-renowned animal law epicenter. CALS’ Alumni-in-Action from more than 30 countries are making a difference for animals around the world. CALS is a self-funded Center within the law school operating under the Lewis & Clark College 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and is able to provide these educational opportunities through donations and grants.