Animal Law Symposium 2024: Can Animals Get Their Day in Court?

Prepare for a legal showdown as leading animal law experts assemble at the Animal Law Symposium 2024 – a two-day virtual event spotlighting the critical frontier of state-level farmed animal protection and policy. From May 5th to 6th, notorious panelists will dissect contentious issues encompassing:

The ongoing battle for anti-confinement laws
Defending against the EATS Act
Charting the future of confinement bans

Animal Law Symposium 2024: Sessions

Friday, May 5 | State-by-State: Battling for a Cage-Free Future: How Local Policies Pave the Way for Farmed Animal Protection

The past two decades have experienced a noticeable increase in state-level efforts to tackle the welfare of farmed animals by restricting their confinement practices. These initiatives – enacted through legislative mechanisms, regulatory actions and ballot measures – have as a whole spearheaded a shift within the animal agriculture industry towards practices that prefer both animal well-being and mitigating the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

The panel will spotlight the following points:

The current legal landscape
Legislative and regulatory pathways
Harnessing the power of ballot initiatives
Protecting and strengthening anti-confinement laws

Friday, May 5 | Safeguarding State Progress: Legal Strategies for Defending Proposition 12 and Question 3

The burgeoning movement to restrict high-level confinement practices for farmed animals has face legal hurdles – most notably with California’s Proposition 12. This landmark legislation, forbidding the sale and production of products from cruelly confined animals, navigated a contentious legal journey culminating in a landmark May 2023 Supreme Court decision upholding its constitutionality. A similar law, Massachusetts’ Question 3, faces ongoing legal challenges.

Focusing on Proposition 12 and Question 3, we will shed light on:

Litigation tactics and arguments
Constitutional underpinnings
The role of evidence
Precedent and future implications

Saturday, May 6 | Legislative Reaction: The EATS Act and Initiatives Countering State-level Advances in Animal Welfare

Though legal obstacles like those encountered by California’s Proposition 12 manifest one obstacle, state-level anti-confinement laws also face a substantial threat from preemptive federal legislation. The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act – the latest iteration of a recurring federal legislative effort – holds the prospective to nullify hundreds of state-level agricultural regulations, comprising vital animal welfare advancements like Proposition 12.

This panel will dissect the EATS Act, analyzing its scope and potential impact, highlighting:

The mechanics of preemption
California’s Proposition 12 in the crosshairs
The Farm Bill’s role and potential influence
Tracing the history of preemption attempts

Saturday, May 6 | Anticipating Tomorrow: The Evolution of Bans on Farmed Animal Confinement and Advocacy Initiatives Safeguarding Their Welfare

The drive for state-level bans on extreme confinement of farmed animals stays robust, with ongoing legislative activity and continued passage of such laws. Yet, this progress is accomplished with persistent challenges, both through litigation and federal preemption efforts. This panel dig deep into the complex landscape surrounding these bans.

The following key aspects will be unpacked: