Government Affairs and Public Policy

What Does GAPP Do?

Very few laws protect farmed animals, even though these sentient beings deserve protection from cruelty and abuse. Mercy For Animals’ GAPP team helps secure local, state, federal, and international laws and policies that reduce farmed animal suffering and increase plant-based food accessibility. The team also fights laws and policies that undermine these initiatives.

Lobby Your Legislators

Policy reforms rely on caring and informed people like you to call on their legislators to act. Your elected officials work for you—by using your voice you can make meaningful, important change for farmed animals. See below for how you can get involved.

U.S. State and Local

U.S. Federal

Hold Big Ag Accountable in the 2023 Farm Bill

Urge Your Senators to Support the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act

End Factory Farming and CAFOs

Request That Your Members of Congress Support the Farm System Reform Act of 2021

How to Advocate

How to Advocate for Farmed Animals

Find your legislators.

Elected officials represent the needs and wants of their constituents, so engage just the elected officials who represent you! To find your local, state, and federal legislators, enter your address here.

Get the advocacy toolkit.

Our downloadable toolkit is full of tips and tricks for effectively engaging your representatives.

Watch our video Lobbying 101: Using Your Voice to Influence Policymakers.

This short video will get you ready to use your voice for farmed animals.

Victories

Successes Supporters Made Possible

The following campaigns were either led or supported by Mercy For Animals. Thanks to partner organizations and advocates like you, farmed animals have gained more protection.

Worked closely with the city to pass a plant-based food resolution. The policy requires that food and beverages offered at city-sponsored events and meetings be plant-based by default. Animal products at such events will be available upon request. In instances where food is served in a buffet style, City staff will ensure that plant-based foods are placed at the beginning of the buffet. If food is listed on a menu, City staff will ensure that plant-based foods are listed at the top of the menu.

Worked closely with Los Angeles County supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office to develop a plant-based food policy. The law mandates an update to county nutritional standards, recommendations for plant-based food procurement, and greenhouse gas emissions tracking.

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Joined a coalition led by Pasado’s Safe Haven to pass legislation to prohibit octopus farming in the state. As part of the coalition, Mercy For Animals sent out action alerts urging volunteers to stand up in support of this important bill and testified before the legislature.

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Joined a powerful coalition to help secure regulations that prohibit the production and sale of eggs from caged hens in Arizona. The Arizona governor’s regulatory review council voted unanimously in favor of the regulations. With their enactment, Arizona joins California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in banning cages for hens.

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Helped pass legislation in Washington, DC, that requires the district to measure greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and reduce these emissions by 25% by 2030. The bill’s author said the law is likely to result in a shift from animal-based foods toward plant-based ones.

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Persuaded legislators to remove a provision that could have criminalized whistleblowing activities, such as employment-based undercover investigations, from a Texas bill.

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Helped secure a law banning cage confinement of laying hens in Nevada and prohibiting sale in the state of eggs from caged hens.

Filed a ballot initiative in Colorado that signaled to lawmakers our determination to secure a cage-free law. As a result, the state enacted a law that requires all eggs sold in Colorado to come from cage-free hens by 2025.

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Worked with several organizations to move the New York City Council to enact a citywide ban on the sale of products from force-fed birds, effectively banning foie gras in the city.
Joined a powerful coalition that drove legislators in Michigan to enact a law that will eliminate the worst suffering for 10 million hens each year while preserving protections for thousands of pigs and calves.

United with environmental groups in a campaign to end deadly large-mesh driftnets off California’s coast. The ban passed after multiple investigations and widespread volunteer action.

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Supported a coalition that moved voters in California to pass the strongest farmed animal protection law in history. Prop 12 bans intensive confinement of mother pigs, laying hens, and calves raised for veal in California, as well as the sale in the state of pork, eggs, and veal from intensively confined animals.

Helped defeat a dangerous amendment to the federal farm bill that could have reversed hundreds of state and local animal protection laws.

Learn how we are calling on governments to increase plant-based options.

Watch our video about climate-friendly food purchasing policies.