Public Policy

A Landmark Win for Animals!

Californians approved the strongest farm animal protection law in history.

Christopher Hendrickson

Nov 07, 2018

Californians approved the strongest farm animal protection law in history.

Today is a historic day for farm animals! Yesterday at the voting booth, Californians approved the strongest farm animal protection law in history, curtailing the extreme confinement of farm animals. Proposition 12 garnered 61% of the vote, and will ensure that mother pigs, baby cows, and egg-laying hens in California are no longer confined in tiny, cruel cages so small that they can barely move. California will now be cage-free for these animals after December 31, 2021. This measure also prohibits the sale of products from those confinement practices in the state of California.

The passing of Prop 12 represents an incredible step forward for the treatment of animals and will ensure that 40 million farm animals each year in California are not kept in cruel cages. This achievement was made possible thanks to our incredible volunteers in California and our grassroots offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Our volunteers helped to gather 660,000 signatures to place this measure on the ballot, and assisted in sending 1.375 million text messages to California voters, making this the largest "Get out the Vote" texting campaign in ballot measure history.

We all know there is much work left to be done, but let's take a moment to celebrate this historic step forward that we accomplished together! Let us never underestimate the power of a group of dedicated activists to make the world a better place for animals.