The AVMA Should Stand for Animal Welfare, Not Big Ag’s Profits

Would you be surprised to know that America’s largest veterinary institution supports allowing animals to suffer in tiny cages?

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) just made clear it cares more about protecting the profits of Big Agribusiness than about sparing animals from extreme cruelty. The AVMA voiced its support for a new section of the draft Farm Bill that would overturn the country’s strongest animal welfare law, California's Proposition 12.

Passed by California voters in 2018 and staunchly opposed by animal agribusiness, Proposition 12 bans the practice of keeping pigs, egg-laying hens, and calves in tiny cages – it also bans the sale of products from farms that use these cages. Other states have passed similar laws. By applauding the Farm Bill provision that would nullify these laws, the AVMA is supporting practices that cause horrific animal suffering.

What’s at stake in the Farm Bill is one issue in particular: the use of gestation crates for pregnant pigs. These metal cages are barely larger than pigs’ bodies, preventing the animals from turning around, lying down comfortably, or engaging in natural behaviors. Pigs confined in gestation cages suffer physically and psychologically for months on end. Despite the clear evidence of the harm gestation crates cause, the AVMA has refused to take a position against them, instead legitimizing their continued use in the pork industry.

In an amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, nearly 400 veterinary professionals voiced their support for Proposition 12. And voters and policymakers around the world agree gestation crates should be banned. The cages are now illegal in several U.S. states and will be eliminated in Europe by 2027. New Zealand, Canada, and Australia are reducing or banning them as well.

Similarly, despite pleas from veterinarians and animal advocates, the AVMA continues to sanction the use of battery cages for egg-laying hens. Its policy on the issue is from 2012 and does not acknowledge that in the last decade, 40 percent of the egg industry has phased out cages in favor of higher welfare systems. Battery cages confine hens to spaces smaller than a sheet of letter-sized paper, preventing them from spreading their wings, perching, or engaging in other natural behaviors. The AVMA has ignored the plethora of science that shows how harmful these cages are, likely so as not to stir trouble with the egg industry.

Americans overwhelmingly believe that preventing cruelty to farm animals is essential. A recent national survey revealed that 80 percent of respondents, Republicans and Democrats alike, not only consider farm animal welfare a matter of moral concern but also support the bans established by Proposition 12 and would back similar legislation in their own states.

Reflecting on this statistic begs the question: What does it say about the AVMA that its positions lag so far behind those of the American public and so many major food companies? The only plausible answer is that the AVMA would rather side with a vocal minority of big corporations than listen to consumers and the science.

The AVMA's endorsement of ventilation shutdown (VSD), a cruel method of mass killing animals on factory farms by essentially roasting them alive, is perhaps the most stark illustration of the organization’s collusion with Big Ag. Despite the unbearable agony VSD causes, the AVMA deems it “permitted in constrained circumstances,” even as the European Union and World Organisation for Animal Health condemn the practice. Backing its buddies like Tyson Foods, the AVMA has refused to reclassify VSD as “not recommended.” It only further dug in its heels after receiving a petition signed by thousands of veterinarians and veterinary professionals and has done everything it can to censor their criticisms.

Rather than advocating for the welfare of animals, the AVMA is acting as a puppet for large corporations in direct violation of its own moral obligations. This is a shameful betrayal of the trust the American public places in the AVMA to ensure animals raised for food are not mistreated.

It’s important to remember that the AVMA’s positive positions on cruel confinement and euthanasia aren’t just superficial stamps of approval but a strategy meant to actively support animal agribusiness. The meat, dairy, and egg industries rely on the AVMA’s policies to legitimize their own practices, as the Pork Checkoff does, for example, in regards to mother pig housing and ventilation shutdown.

The AVMA also wields real political power. It has spent over $17 million on political lobbying since 2003 and has given $6.2 million to congressional candidates since 1990. Given the AVMA’s support of provisions in the Farm Bill that have been widely condemned by animal welfare organizations, it’s clear the AVMA’s lobbying is more aligned with agribusiness interests than with protecting animals.

It is time for the AVMA to be held accountable to its own values and oath. Veterinarians and animal welfare experts must demand that the AVMA take a clear stance against the use of gestation crates, battery cages, and other forms of extreme confinement in animal agriculture – as well as cruel practices like VSD.

Only by refusing to serve corporate interests and speaking out against these antiquated, abusive practices can the AVMA fulfill its mission.