Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

Animal Outlook‘s recent investigation into six New York “family farms” selling raw milk reveals these operations subject cows to the same cruel practices found in industrial dairy, despite marketing based on pastoral imagery and claims of superior animal welfare. Executive Director Ben Williamson shares how their undercover work exposed filthy living conditions, painful health issues, and public health risks that led to one farm being banned from selling raw milk after a campylobacter outbreak. This episode explores: The consistent animal welfare violations found across small “family farm” raw milk operations Health risks associated with raw milk consumption and recent disease outbreaks How Animal Outlook strategically selects and conducts impactful undercover investigations Legal advocacy strategies that hold companies accountable for humane-washing claims ABOUT OUR GUEST Ben Williamson is the Executive Director of Animal Outlook with over a decade of experience in animal protection. Ben began his advocacy career at PETA UK, later serving as PETA’s Senior International Media Director in Los Angeles. He subsequently led programs at World Animal Protection and served as Executive Director at Compassion in World Farming USA, where he oversaw an investigation featured in the New York Times. His advocacy has earned him appearances on major networks including NBC, CNN, and Fox News, and his writing has been published in USA Today, Newsweek, and other prominent publications. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This week’s Hen Report explores the complex intersection of animal rights with technology, research, and activism. Hosts Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan dive into the ethical implications of AI on animal welfare, highlighting how AI systems reflect human biases against animals while potentially offering both setbacks and opportunities for animal advocacy. The episode also covers groundbreaking developments in primate research, ongoing challenges with horse slaughter, and the environmental impact of non-native honeybees on local ecosystems. This episode explores: How AI systems reflect and potentially reinforce societal biases against animals while offering opportunities for progress in animal advocacy The promising news about Oregon Health and Science University’s unanimous board vote to explore transitioning their primate research center into a sanctuary Critical analysis of the ongoing export of American horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter despite 83% of Americans opposing the practice Environmental concerns about non-native honeybees accelerating the decline of native bee populations Opportunities for animal advocates to engage with veterinarians about opposing cruel “depopulation” methods in factory farming RESOURCES Meat and Dairy Industry Surpass AI Usage By Far! AI’s Innate Bias Against Animals OHSU’s Primate Lab to Become a Primate Sanctuary? The Clock is Ticking on Promises to Reduce Animal Research American Horses Are Still Being Slaughtered for Meat The big case against owning small pets Good news: We saved the bees. Bad news: We saved the wrong ones. Request for AVMA Delegates to Condemn the New AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals Five Decades — One Mission  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan dives into how the animal agriculture industry is getting increasingly nervous about the accelerating momentum of animal rights activism. From Wyoming rodeo defenders panicking over a proposed NYC rodeo ban to Oregon’s groundbreaking ballot initiative that would remove exemptions from animal cruelty laws, the industry’s anxieties are on full display. Meanwhile, dairy farmers’ self-congratulatory comparisons to NFL athletes and the beef industry’s concerns about dwindling cattle numbers reveal an industry desperately clinging to relevance, even as California’s Prop 12 continues to reshape the market despite industry resistance. This episode explores: How a proposed NYC rodeo ban has Wyoming cowboys claiming their “culture” is under attack, revealing the industry’s defensive posture against urban animal protection measures Oregon’s third attempt at a comprehensive ballot initiative that would remove exemptions to animal cruelty laws, potentially transforming animal agriculture in the state The dairy industry’s bizarre self-congratulatory comparisons between dairy farming and professional football, highlighting their struggle for positive public perception Former agricultural leaders’ dramatic warnings about the “collapse” of American agriculture, while simultaneously receiving billions in government subsidies How California’s Prop 12 is creating market opportunities for farmers willing to adopt higher welfare standards despite industry opposition We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this eye-opening episode of Our Hen House, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan speak with Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel Rosenberg about their groundbreaking new book, Feed the People: Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better. The authors present compelling evidence that our food system myths are preventing real progress, particularly when it comes to animal agriculture, which they demonstrate is impossible to reform at its current scale and still meet environmental or ethical standards. This episode explores: Why “family farms” are largely a myth that masks the reality of modern agriculture How industrial food production can be good and necessary on a planet of 8 billion people Why small-scale, “high welfare” animal agriculture is not scalable and often worse for the environment How the “ultra-processed” label misleads consumers about plant-based alternatives What policy solutions like ending agricultural exceptionalism could effectively transform our food system Preorder “Feed the People” before February 17th at basicbooks.com with discount code “feed20” for 20% off! ABOUT OUR GUESTS Jan Dutkiewicz is an assistant professor at Pratt Institute. He is a contributing writer at Vox and a contributing editor at The New Republic. Gabriel N. Rosenberg is an associate professor at Duke University and a Senior Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Together, they authored the upcoming book Feed the People: Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better (Basic Books, publishing February 17th 2026). We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this week’s episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann dive into critical discussions about animal advocacy and the many ways we can all contribute to changing the world for animals. The conversation explores different approaches to animal activism beyond just career choices, highlighting the importance of finding your unique path in the movement. This episode explores: The debate around “earning to give” in animal advocacy and why Mariann wrote a thought-provoking Substack piece arguing that our contributions to animal rights extend far beyond financial donations Recent legal victories for animals, including Tofurky’s constitutional win against Texas food label censorship laws targeting plant-based products Promising developments in reducing animal testing, with Taiwan prioritizing animal-free testing methods for new food products and the EPA recommitting to replacing animal tests The surprising ecological importance of alligators in wetlands for carbon storage and climate protection A groundbreaking lawsuit using habeas corpus to seek the release of dogs from the notorious Ridglan beagle breeding facility in Wisconsin RESOURCES Earning to Give? You are more than that. Court Rules Texas Food Label Censorship Law is Unconstitutional Animal Rights Attorneys File Lawsuit Seeking Release of Dogs at Notorious Beagle Breeding Facility Victory! PETA Saves Animals from Pointless and Deadly Tests in Taiwan Physicians Committee Applauds EPA for Recommitting to Replacing Animal Tests Gator Country’s Climate Guardians Environmental Organizations Ask USDA to Stop Subsidizing Manure Digesters Kind by Gretchen Primack  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Mariann Sullivan dives into the animal agriculture industry’s mounting concerns, from suspicious attacks on farmer advocacy groups to the triple threat of disease outbreaks threatening farmed animals nationwide. This episode explores how Big Ag’s propaganda machine works overtime to discredit genuine farmer coalitions while simultaneously battling an unprecedented rise in health crises that their own practices help perpetuate. This episode explores: How the industry attempts to discredit Farm Action, a genuine farmer advocacy group, simply because it supports animal welfare measures like Prop 12 The panic spreading through Texas as New World Screwworm flies threaten to cross the border, prompting a $750 million taxpayer-funded response Why a 16% jump in farm animal antibiotic use signals a dangerous backslide that contributes to 35,000 human deaths annually The emergence of Nipah virus in India that poses a devastating threat to human health Worrying about the effect on workers forced to “depopulate” millions of birds during avian flu outbreaks who they would otherwise be raising for slaughter We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Steffen Seitz, litigation fellow for the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project who defends advocates and researches movement law. Wayne Hsiung, animal rights lawyer and organizer known for open rescues and legal writing. They discuss denied necessity defenses, constitutional questions about protecting veganism as a belief, First Amendment risks from aiding-and-abetting charges, and the growing legal support challenging those rulings.

In this thought-provoking episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan welcome Harvard Law student Akber Khan to discuss the complex intersections of animal rights activism with the unfolding political crisis in America. As political tensions heighten in the US and globally, they explore how animal advocates can effectively position their work within anti-fascist frameworks while navigating challenging conversations about oppression, moral consideration, and strategic activism. This episode explores: Intersectionality in activism: How animal rights connects fundamentally to other social justice movements through shared mechanisms of oppression Legal approaches to animal advocacy: Akber’s experience at Legal Impact for Chickens and the strategy of making animal cruelty a financial liability Building bridges across ideological divides: The potential of religious frameworks and conservative outreach in expanding the animal rights movement Strategic activism vs. vocal protest: The value of “infiltrating spaces” where animal advocates can influence policy from within Finding hope in difficult times: How to maintain optimism and momentum in animal advocacy despite societal resistance and slow progress RESOURCES The New Sentience: Reimagining Animal Poetry  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This episode of Rising Anxieties dissects a New York Review of Books article that acknowledges factory farm horrors while stopping short of the obvious conclusion: stop eating chickens. Mariann cuts through the nonsense of backyard chicken enthusiasts who claim moral superiority while perpetuating exploitation; eye-rolls at legislators who prioritize wolf delisting and “official chicken wing flavors” over meaningful change; and questions the absurdity of addressing cattle methane with band-aid solutions rather than systemic transformation. This episode explores: How cute narratives about “humane” backyard egg production do nothing to change the fact that billions of chickens suffer horrifically to produce eggs  The contradictory messaging of books that acknowledge factory farming horrors while avoiding advocating for veganism Recent legislation targeting cultivated meat with prison sentences while failing to address animal welfare concerns How bipartisan efforts to delist Mexican wolves, gray wolves, and grizzly bears prioritize cattle industry profits over wildlife protection Industry’s desperate attempts to mitigate methane emissions from cattle rather than addressing the root problem of animal agriculture We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This episode explores the hidden realities of fish farming with Laura Lee Cascada, founder of the Aquaculture Accountability Project. Despite being marketed as an environmentally friendly solution to overfishing, aquaculture has created factory farms on water that cause widespread suffering to sea animals, contribute to environmental degradation, and pose serious human health risks. Cascada debunks the industry’s greenwashing tactics and reveals how farmed fishing has actually increased overall fish consumption while failing to reduce, and even increasing, pressure on wild populations. This episode explores: How the aquaculture industry has used deceptive marketing to position itself as environmentally sustainable while creating factory farms on water Why farmed fish operations often require wild-caught fish as feed, intensifying rather than reducing overfishing The severe welfare concerns for sea animals in crowded, disease-prone farming operations The environmental impact of open-net pens that spread disease, waste, and antibiotics into surrounding waters Practical steps institutions and individuals can take to reduce harm to sea animals and oceans ABOUT OUR GUEST Laura Lee Cascada is an environmental advocate and investigative researcher with a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins and 15+ years advancing evidence-based food system change. She founded the Aquaculture Accountability Project to expose misleading sustainability narratives driving industrial fish farming and support a shift to ocean-friendly meals. Previously, her reporting helped shut down Hawaii’s only octopus farm, and she has led campaigns advancing plant-forward commitments across cities and major companies. A freediver and lifelong ocean lover, Laura is driven by a vision for a food system that genuinely protects our oceans. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.