In this irreverent episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan unpacks the latest worries keeping animal agriculture executives up at night—from avian influenza contingency plans to the surprising alliance between premium meat brands and animal advocates. With her trademark wit, Mariann dissects the absurdity of turkey “pardoning” ceremonies, exposes the dairy industry’s push to flood schools with whole milk (while conveniently excluding it from saturated fat calculations), and reveals disturbing labor conditions at poultry plants. The episode wraps with an unexpectedly optimistic note on the global rise of meat alternatives, proving that even in the meat industry’s own publications, the writing on the wall is becoming impossible to ignore.

This episode explores:

• How the dairy industry is scrambling to create contingency plans for disease outbreaks while prioritizing milk supply over animal welfare
• Why some “responsible” meat companies are joining forces with animal advocates to support California’s Proposition 12 standards
• The bipartisan push to reintroduce whole milk in schools with a surprising silver lining for plant-based options
• Shocking labor violations in poultry processing, including children as young as 13 working overnight cleaning shifts
• The growing global acceptance of meat alternatives, with countries outside the US showing double-digit growth in plant-based eating

_____________________________________________

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.

Between now and December 31, every donation up to $20,000 will be tripled! 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.