Cory Booker Reintroduced a Bill That Would Phase Out Factory Farming

How you can help in this critical moment

Photo by Iva Rajović on Unsplash

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

On July 15th, 2021, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Farm System Reform Act, legislation that would put a moratorium on building new factory farms, prevent existing ones from expanding, phase the largest ones out by 2040, and provide ongoing support for farmers transitioning out of factory farming. Furthermore, the bill would make country-of-origin labeling mandatory, help independent family farmers, and crack down on agriculture monopolies.

Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The bills are currently cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representatives Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Mark Pocan (D.Wis.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

By now we’ve all seen disturbing footage of factory farms (thanks to activists who risked extreme sentences for breaking draconian “ag-gag” laws): animals being beaten, chickens crammed into cages, pigs lying in their own feces with no room to turn around, and cows with swollen and infected udders.

If you haven’t seen the footage, please bite the bullet and watch it. It takes literally one minute. This is an issue that cannot be grasped by intellectualizing alone.

If you have a bit more time, here’s an excellent series by a German broadcast service investigating global factory farming. This highlights the urgent need for mandatory country-of-origin labeling.

Animals are treated so poorly on factory farms that farmers have to regularly administer antibiotics to keep them alive. These antibiotics then go into people who eat the meat and over time we get widespread antibiotic resistance — a serious public health problem. Add this to significant air, water, and soil pollution and it’s no surprise that the American Public Health Association supports the moratorium on factory farms.

The legislation is also endorsed by the Campaign for Family Farmers and the Environment, the Kansas Black Farmers Association, the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association, the Environmental Working Group, the National Resources Defense Council, and Oxfam America, among many others.

There are currently 1.6 billion animals living on factory farms in the United States. That’s about 5 animals per U.S. citizen.

Factory farming is a moral atrocity for which posterity will no doubt judge us harshly. It needs to end now.

What You Can Do

1. Add your congressional representatives to your contact list in your phone. If you don’t know who they are, find out quickly and easily here.
2. Call your representatives every day. Call them when you’re driving. Call them when you’re walking your dog. Call them right when you wake up in the morning. Call them all the time. If it’s after hours, you can leave a message. Don’t be intimidated — they’re working for you. You don’t have to sound like a professional lobbyist. Just say who you are and why you care about this bill in your own words.
3. If you’re at a loss for what to say, go for something like “Hi Senator [Senator’s last name]. My name is [your full name] and I live in [your city and state]. I’m calling to urge you to cosponsor the Farm System Reform Act reintroduced by Cory Booker this July. This legislation would benefit public health and the environment, help small farmers, and end the suffering of billions of farm animals. Thank you.”
4. Of course, if you want to dive into the details, go for it! All the important info can be found here.
5. You can also write emails and letters. Because representatives receive fewer individualized letters, these count for a lot! Start a letter-writing group if you’ve got some friends who care about the issue.

Animals cannot speak for themselves. Factory farming will not come to an end unless we take action. Now is your opportunity to do so.