Animal Partisan

Animal Partisan Throwing a wrench in the gears of animal exploitation. The situation for most animals in this country is bleak. We have an urgent obligation to resist.

Despite meaningful victories by the animal rights movement over the past several decades, the number of animals slaughtered, exploited, and subjected to abuse continues to rise. The animal agribusiness and research industries are developing new methods that harm animals, including genetic modifications, faster slaughter lines, more gruesome experiments, and larger confinement facilities. While man

y believe that the country is becoming more humane, the truth is that animals suffer now like never before. Although these government-backed industries possess financial, political, and human resources that surpass every animal protection organization combined, the history of conflict is laden with examples of small, tenacious groups that stymied and frustrated larger opponents. We’re a nonprofit legal advocacy organization focused on disrupting and weakening the primary industries of animal exploitation in the United States by discovering, revealing, and challenging unlawful conduct no matter its form. We strive to embody the principles of partisan resistance in a non-violent manner by selectively, aggressively, and creatively engaging in legal advocacy actions aimed at undermining the ability of these industries to abuse and exploit animals. We strive to make cruel practices less profitable, divert resources used to exploit animals, and degrade public confidence in these industries. To alleviate animal suffering, we’ll explore every corner of the legal system upon which these industries must comply—including animal welfare, food safety, permits, accreditation, zoning, environmental, administrative, procedural, business contracts, financial, criminal, and others. We also believe that the world needs more attorneys dedicated to challenging these systems of animal abuse and exploitation. We work to amplify our value beyond direct legal action by mentoring, empowering, and creating opportunities for law students and attorneys to challenge the animal agriculture and research industries.

06/08/2026

Routine inspection. Hidden suffering.

During a recent USDA APHIS inspection of Equitech-Bio, a Texas-based company that supplies animal-derived blood products to researchers, inspectors documented conditions that included goats and sheep appearing visibly injured and limping throughout the facility.

Equitech-Bio, which also sources blood derivatives from dogs, cats, rats, and mice, operates within an industry that depends on the routine exploitation and commodification of animal bodies. These systems are often presented as essential to science and medicine, but the conditions inside them tell a different story; one of prolonged use, confinement, and suffering that remains largely invisible to the public.

This is not an isolated case. It reflects a broader system where animals are treated as biological inputs rather than sentient individuals.

Why this matters:
• The animal serum and plasma industry relies on using living animals as production tools.
• “Research supply” systems are largely hidden from public view and weakly scrutinized.
• Farmed animals are exploited in countless ways beyond being killed for food.

➡️ If you believe animals are more than tools for human use, support efforts to expose and challenge these industries. Donate to Animal Partisan today.

06/05/2026

On June 4, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, issued a report highlighting major shortcomings in the only federal law intended to protect "livestock" in transport — the 28-Hour Law. The report delivered a blistering critique of the 28-Hour Law and its enforcement, finding that (1) the law only addresses 1 of 6 factors that could prevent cruelty during transport and (2) the three agencies tasked with enforcing the law (DOT, DOJ, and USDA), have done virtually nothing to protect animals in transport. GAO recommended that Congress consider amending the law to address factors such as weather conditions, fitness of animals to travel, inadequate driver preparedness, unsafe vehicles, and sanitation. GAO also recommended that Congress clarify the roles of the various federal agencies involved in the law's enforcement and provide steeper penalties for violation.

Animal Partisan has been challenging the agriculture industry and government transportation issues since our organization was founded in 2022. We partnered with SEED Investigations to conduct an investigation that uncovered Midwest livestock truck drivers falsifying records related to their hours spent driving, we have repeatedly exposed the gruesome aftermaths of livestock truck crashes through police body cam videos, and we have sought criminal charges against truck drivers who killed and injured animals as a result of unsafe driving.

This work mattered. Following the release of its report, the GAO confirmed to us that it had reviewed and considered our work on transportation issues when compiling this report and thanked us for the assistance in evaluating enforcement of the 28-Hour Law.

What matters even more is that Congress takes the next step and acts on GAO’s recommendations. You can help. Go to https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member to find your members of Congress. Contact them and (1) tell them you care about the welfare of farmed animals in transport and (2) ask them to review the Government Accountability Office’s recent report on farmed animal transport and take action on the recommendations contained in that report.

05/29/2026

Behind the walls of factory farms, slaughterhouses, and laboratories, animals endure suffering most people are never meant to see. As these industries grow, so does the scale of exploitation.

Animal Partisan exists to expose what’s hidden and challenge it through the law.

We investigate cruelty, uncover deception, and take action against the industries and institutions profiting from animal suffering — while helping grow the next generation of animal advocates and attorneys.

Small team. Big fight. And we’re not backing down. Learn more at animalpartisan.org.

05/25/2026

More than 1,300 living, feeling individuals were burned alive.

In February 2026, a devastating fire at a factory farm in Onslow County, North Carolina, trapped and killed over 1,300 pigs. They experienced unimaginable terror and suffering in their final moments. In nearby barns, surviving pigs still stand confined behind metal bars and concrete walls within the same industrial system that failed the others.

Factory farms are designed for efficiency and production, not the safety or wellbeing of the animals trapped inside them. Thousands of pigs are crammed into enclosed buildings where they have zero chance of escape when disaster strikes. Long before fires like this occur, these animals already endure lives of confinement, suffering, and exploitation.

Pigs are intelligent, social animals capable of fear, distress, and emotional connection. They are not products or inventory. Yet industrial animal agriculture continues to treat them as disposable.

This is the reality of factory farming: mass suffering hidden behind barn walls until catastrophe makes it impossible to ignore.

Take action:
- Choose compassion and pick plant-based alternatives that don't support factory farming.
- Fuel the fight and support Animal Partisan working to expose and challenge the animal agriculture industry. Link in bio.

05/10/2026

A recent study on maternal behavior in sheep confirms what we already know—farmed animals are strong, protective mothers. These nurturing and protective mothers don't exist just to "reproduce." They form profound, lifelong bonds with their children. The study, conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on the long-term effects of tail docking, a routine but painful procedure where a lamb's tail is removed, often without anesthesia. This practice violates an animal’s bodily integrity, inflicting acute pain and distress on lambs when they are only a few days old. This study aimed to determine if such trauma impairs their future ability to mother. 6-12 hours after giving birth, UW researchers took the babies away for a period of time despite the study itself stating, "Maternal behavior in the hours after lambing is critical for establishing the lamb–dam bond". The findings are a stark reminder of the tortured emotional lives of farmed animals trapped in the industrial animal agriculture system. Researchers observed that when lambs are taken away, the mothers don't just "react", they suffer. Regardless of whether they had been docked, they paced, stopped eating, and cried out. When finally reunited, they rushed to groom and nurse their young, desperate to repair the connection. This isn't just "behavioral data"; it is a mother’s love.

This study highlights a troubling cycle in animal experimentation:
- To measure "physiological stress," researchers intentionally separated mothers from their newborns just hours after birth during a crucial time.
- Though the research confirms maternal instincts survive severe trauma, we must ask: Why are we still performing experiments to prove a bond that is already so plain to see?

Much like us, sheep and all farmed animals create deep bonds with their children and suffer when they are parted. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let’s remember the millions of mothers denied the chance to raise their young, and the countless others subjected to unethical procedures and experiments. Choose compassion for all mothers. Demand an end to unnecessary pain and forced separation by choosing alternatives to animal products.

Routine inspection. Systemic cruelty.During a routine USDA inspection on March 2, 2026, an inspector heard pigs screamin...
05/01/2026

Routine inspection. Systemic cruelty.

During a routine USDA inspection on March 2, 2026, an inspector heard pigs screaming and entered the stunning area of a small slaughterhouse in Pennsylvania. There, an employee climbed on top of one pig, kicked another in the face, and used a charged electric prod on the face of a third as they vocalized in distress. The slaughterhouse, Win-A-Nell Butchering and Meats LLC, was cited for violating federal "humane handling" laws. This incident reflects the normalized violence built into slaughterhouse systems where speed and profit come before animal welfare.

Win-A-Nell markets itself as a "family owned" butcher shop, but the truth is that even smaller operations that present themselves as local, transparent, and trustworthy are the sites of immense animal suffering. Animal Partisan is pursuing criminal charges based on this incident.

Why you should care:
• This is the reality behind the “family owned" slaughterhouses
• Marketing often hides what public records reveal
• No matter the size of the place they are slaughtered, animals experience fear, pain, and suffering just the same in their final moments

➡️ If you agree this is wrong, link in bio to support. Donate to fuel the fight.

Join us for Expert Witnesses in Animal Advocacy at the Animal Law Symposium: Protecting Animals through Transparency, En...
04/30/2026

Join us for Expert Witnesses in Animal Advocacy at the Animal Law Symposium: Protecting Animals through Transparency, Engagement, and Regulatory Practice, hosted by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Friday, May 8
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. PT / 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. ET

Will Lowrey, Legal Counsel of Animal Partisan, will join a panel to speak on the critical role expert veterinarians play in farmed animal cruelty cases. He will cover how to find credible experts, what their testimony establishes, and the legal and practical challenges they face when evidence is limited or conditions are obscured.

Anyone interested in animal law is welcome to attend. This is also a free CLE (Continuing Legal Education) event, meaning attorneys can earn credits required to maintain their law licenses.

Register here: https://aldf.org/article/animal-law-symposium/animal-law-symposium-2026/

This is the reality behind the latest “wellness” trend and yet another layer of the dairy industry’s cruelty.Bovine colo...
04/27/2026

This is the reality behind the latest “wellness” trend and yet another layer of the dairy industry’s cruelty.

Bovine colostrum, the first milk produced after birth, is essential for calves’ survival as it is packed with antibodies that build their immune systems. But lately, it’s being repackaged and sold as a human health supplement — and how it’s sourced is troubling. Colostrum supplement companies claim calves get their needs met first but rarely explain how that’s ensured. They also frame “surplus” colostrum as a waste product that would otherwise be discarded. Meanwhile, industry data shows nearly 1 in 5 dairy calves suffer from colostrum deprivation leaving them more vulnerable to disease and death.

And that so-called “extra” colostrum? Research suggests true surplus is rare and typically stored for future calf feeding, not thrown away.

Why this matters:
• Calves depend on colostrum to survive. Without it, their risk of illness and death skyrockets
• “Calf-first” claims lack transparency and conflict with industry data
• The “waste product” narrative misleads consumers about what’s really happening

➡️ Think twice before buying into the trend.

04/10/2026

On June 23, 2025, two cows bound for slaughter in Westminster, Maryland broke free and ran for their lives. They crashed through fencing and fled into neighborhoods, searching for a way out, but there was no escape.

One cow was cornered in a backyard and shot in the head. She collapsed, then struggled back to her feet, weak, terrified, and bleeding. She was shot again and again. After the third shot, she finally fell. Her body was dragged into a trailer.

The second cow was found in a parking lot. She was also shot several times while she staggered and bled. After a third shot, she ran. Injured and confused, she tried to escape, but bystanders blocked her path and forced her back. Eventually, she was cornered and forced into a trailer, still alive after three gunshots. Inside, she was shot a fourth time.

Just like us, they wanted to live. Unfortunately, their final moments were filled with fear. If their last act was to fight for their lives, ours should be to build a world where they never have to.

Animal Partisan has asked local law enforcement to charge the owners with animal cruelty for causing this suffering. Honor their lives and leave animals off your plate for good.

Despite facing a charge of aggravated animal cruelty after complaints from both Animal Partisan and PETA, a Utah slaught...
04/06/2026

Despite facing a charge of aggravated animal cruelty after complaints from both Animal Partisan and PETA, a Utah slaughterhouse owner will face little punishment for cutting the hoof off a conscious steer. In November 2025, a steer bound for slaughter escaped the stun box and became entangled in a gate. The USDA reported that the owner disregarded warnings and used a knife to cut the hoof off the terrified animal so that he could be freed from the gate and sent back to slaughter. While the owner was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, the court accepted a diversion agreement that requires only that, for a period of 6 months, the owner complies with USDA and Utah regulations, commits no further offenses, and pays a $500 penalty. After this, the charges will be dismissed and his record will be expunged.

Surprisingly, two licensed veterinarians submitted letters defending the owner's actions as “justified” and “humane.” While the outcome offers a very small measure of accountability and has drawn local attention to the plight of animals at slaughter, it highlights how the system—including veterinarians who swear an oath to protect animal welfare—routinely fails farmed animals, even in cases of extreme cruelty. Join us in rejecting this cruelty by leaving animal products off your plate.

Address

405 E. Laburnum Avenue, Suite 3 #44
Richmond, VA
23222

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Animal Partisan posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Animal Partisan:

Shortcuts

Share

Category