Nonstop Action for Animals: Here's What We Did This Quarter

New Investigations and Open Rescues

• During the Animal Liberation Conference in May, activists rescued two wounded, suffering chickens from a slaughter truck moments before they were set to enter Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse.
• Just days later, we released an investigation into Vera Goat Dairy, one of the largest goat dairies in California, and a supplier to the ‘Certified Humane’ brand Meyenberg. During the course of the investigation, activists rescued a mother and her baby, along with another extremely sick baby goat.
• Investigators returned to Vera Goat Dairy on the last day of the Animal Liberation Conference to further document the illegal cruelty occurring at the factory farm. They were able to rescue two more baby goats who were visibly sick and needed immediate medical care. The 5 rescuers were arrested but currently remain uncharged.
• Activists in Paris rescued an incredible 208 baby chicks from a factory farm in France.

Major Media Features

• The San Francisco Chronicle published a feature piece on Zoe Rosenberg’s upcoming trial, where she is facing 5 years in prison for rescuing four chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. This in-depth, positive piece was on the front page of the Sunday paper, above the fold!
• WIRED Magazine reported on a trove of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests showing how the FBI has been surveilling the animal rights movement, in particular DxE, and trying to paint us as bioterrorists. The Intercept also reported on this story.
• Zoe’s case was covered in Sentient, UnchainedTV, and on Our Hen House, and local news reported on our actions all quarter long.

High Impact Demonstrations

• To continue turning the public against Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry and pressuring their buyers to cut ties, activists coordinated two weekends of action against Trader Joe’s, with dozens of protests across the country. Additional pressure prompted yet another restaurant to cut ties with Perdue.
• Activists disrupted the Sonoma County ‘Butter & Eggs’ Parade, of which Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry is the main sponsor, and disrupted all 3 events of the California Poultry Federation’s Summer Board Meeting.
• Over 200 activists marched through the streets of Petaluma as part of the Animal Liberation March.

Courtroom Battles

• In April, we found out that Zoe Rosenberg’s trial, which was set for May, was being delayed. While disappointing, we quickly pivoted to host an entire week of action against Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry in its place, and are now back to actively preparing for trial, which is set to begin September 15th.
• We had some pre-trial victories in Zoe’s case, successfully winning part of our subpoena request to Perdue, meaning they will need to turn over records to us, and successfully defeating a sweeping gag order requested by the prosecution. Unfortunately, we also had some losses. Despite a fantastic job by Zoe’s attorneys, the judge denied Zoe’s use of the necessity defense. The prosecutors also dropped Zoe’s theft charge, which severely hampers our ability to discuss animal welfare conditions at trial.
• Perdue and their slaughterhouse director Jason Arnold also sued us for protesting on the sidewalk outside Arnold’s home, which is constitutionally protected, First Amendment activity. We filed an anti-SLAPP motion in May to dismiss their lawsuit, which will be heard late next month.

There is no doubt that facing this repression is hard, but we know that it’s a sign that our actions are having an impact. With these legal battles, rescues, protests and media attention, we are building a mass movement capable of fundamentally changing the world for animals.