RYAN J. FOLEY: An animal rights activist whose investigations and pranks have made him a leading foe of the livestock industry has been charged with trespassing at a pig facility, in the first case brought under Iowa’s latest law aimed at protecting farming operations from intruders. Matthew Johnson, 35, is charged with trespassing at a food operation for his presence Feb. 5 outside an Iowa Select Farms sow operation in Dows, 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Des Moines. Investigators say surveillance video captured Johnson approach one of the buildings and try to pull a door to determine…

LEWIS KNIGHT: New documentary Seaspiracy has sparked horror from viewers who witnessed the horrors of the fishing industry in the film. The Netflix documentary examines the damage done to our ocean environments through human behaviour. It comes from one of the makers of acclaimed documentary Cowspiracy, filmmaker Ali Tabrizi, who co-directed the 90-minute film alongside Lucy Tabrizi. Examining the impact of plastics, pollution from the fishing industry, illegal fishing, and brutal hunting practices, the film asks difficult questions about what we are doing to our seas and how this will…

JOSHUA TEHEE: The animal rights activist group Direct Action Everywhere is leveling claims of animal abuse at several Land O’Lakes dairy operations in the central San Joaquin Valley, including Zonneveld Dairy near Laton in Fresno County... Berkeley-based group released the findings of a three-year investigation it did at 14 of the company’s farms both in Wisconsin and in California. Among the facilities were Zonneveld Dairy in Laton; Kasbergen Dairy, Curtimade Dairy, FernJo Farms, and Mancebo Holsteins in Tulare; Fern Oaks Dairy in Porterville; Giacomazzi Dairy and Grimmius Calf Ranch in…

KAREN GILCHRIST: Karana is the Singapore food start-up positioning itself as Asia's first whole-plant-based meat brand. Its flagship product — a pulled pork substitute — is made entirely from jackfruit, oil and salt, without processed ingredients or preservatives... Dan Riegler, whose own evolving relationship with meat inspired him to co-found Karana. "I was very much a vegan skeptic, a meat-eater for a lot of my life, and I've taken a major turn," Riegler told CNBC Make It... Started in 2018 as demand for meat alternatives was growing, Riegler said he saw a gap in the market for meat…

ROB EDWARDS: Salmon suffering at Scottish fish farms is “endemic” and in breach of animal cruelty law, according to an undercover investigation by animal welfare campaigners. Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has released videos and photos claiming to show that the £2 billion salmon farming industry is causing “silent suffering” in “cruel underwater factory farms” across Scotland... Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) investigated 22 salmon farms run by five big multinational companies in what it called the “biggest ever exposé” of the Scottish industry. The investigations were carried out…

ALEX BILLINGTON: A surrealist biographical documentary narrated by Moby as he reflects on his turbulent personal life and iconic music from underground punk bands to chart-topping solo artist, and from struggling addict to vegan activist. The film features interviews with David Lynch & David Bowie, and many other people, along with extraordinary concert footage, utilizing a unique blend of the re-enactments, interviews, and archival footage, audiences will be treated to an insightful, unvarnished look at an artist who has sold more than 20 million albums, an outspoken activist who has…

DAMIAN CARRINGTON: The fast growth of plant-based alternatives to animal products could mean Europe and North America will reach “peak meat” by 2025, at which point consumption of conventional meat starts to fall, according to a report. The study also forecasts that plant-based meats will match regular meat on price by 2023 and that nine out of 10 of the world’s favourite dishes – from pepperoni pizza to sushi – will have realistic alternatives by 2035... The report forecasts that two-thirds of the alternative protein products in 2035 will be plant-based, a fifth produced by microbes, as…

REYNARD LOKI: Colorado Governor Jared Polis's declaration of March 20 as "MeatOut Day" to promote plant-based diets—which are beneficial to human health, the environment, and the prevention of cruelty to animals—sparked controversy between animal rights activists and the meat industry that went beyond state lines. Polis is not the first major politician to promote this message to eat less meat; he joins governors and mayors in 40 additional states and cities who have signed similar proclamations in recent years. Originally conceived in 1985 as the "Great American Meatout" by the Farm Animal…

WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION: Multiple global food brands are resistant to improving their animal welfare standards, according to a new report launched today by World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). The 2020 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report reveals that 59 of the world's 150 largest food brands appear in the lowest tiers (Tiers 5 and 6), indicating these companies provide little or no information on their approach to farm animal welfare. Even more surprising, is that one in five (31) trusted global food companies has no farm animal welfare policy…

KARINA CHABOUR & JAMES VASINA: The number of groups engaging in direct action for animal welfare and animal rights is on the rise in France. Many of them don't approve of violent tactics and instead focus on "freeing" animals such as pigs and cows from factory farms, blocking slaughterhouses and filming the conditions in which animals are kept – whether they're raised for food or any other form of exploitation. In doing so, these activists risk prison sentences and hefty fines, but that isn't stopping them. FRANCE 24's Karina Chabour and James Vasina report on their strategy and…