FarmSTAND

Last fall, we launched FarmSTAND and took a major step toward shifting the current food system to one that puts people ahead of profit. Now, let's celebrate and recommit ourselves to working together in courtrooms and communities to create that transformation. Join us on October 10 for FarmSTAND's First Anniversary Celebration, generously hosted by Gupta Wessler LLP in Washington, DC. Tickets here: https://lnkd.in/e6apHJDe

FarmSTAND envisions a food system that ensures the health, safety, and dignity of work for all food system workers. We work alongside organizers and organizations that directly serve workers to strengthen protections and dismantle the structures that contribute to their harm. We are also committed to uplifting the voices of workers who demand prioritizing people over profit — and holding corporations accountable when they refuse to do so. Happy Labor Day! https://lnkd.in/ddkU94EZ

NEW: In the case in which we represent farmworker advocates urging a federal court to keep the administration's essential H-2A protections in place, a Georgia federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the whole rule. More: https://lnkd.in/eTUuAR6t

Remember the "antibiotic-free chicken" promise that was ubiquitous across big meat company advertising just a few years ago? Turns out it was never compatible with the nature of the factory farm system. "The industry’s ruthless drive for profit and 'efficiency' has relegated chickens to such dirty, overcrowded, and stressful living conditions that the birds get sick and die en masse if they don’t regularly consume low doses of antibiotics in their feed or water," FarmSTAND Senior Staff Attorney Kelsey Eberly writes. It's part of a bigger trend: At FarmSTAND, we know that when Big Ag makes promises and announces commitments, 99% of the time it’s just corporate image-laundering — an effort to ease the public exposure and pressure from activists’ or consumers’ campaigns or to dissuade regulators from cracking down. FarmSTAND doesn’t ask Big Ag companies to make promises. We sue them for misleading the public and breaking those promises. We believe transformative change comes not from boardrooms, but courtrooms and communities. Kelsey explores the allure of the corporate commitment, and the mandate for those aiming to build a better food system to take nothing at face value, on FarmSTAND's blog: https://lnkd.in/etvSMRYA

FarmSTAND is hiring a legal fellow to start in Fall 2025. Come work with an amazing team of litigators on some really important issues and exciting cases!

Today's industrial animal ag system is dominated by a handful of megacorporations. Big Ag will sacrifice anything to save a buck. Given that, our government asking nicely and hoping for the best is not a true public health/environmental protection strategy. https://lnkd.in/eWthDwby

Every day, we are building a food system that works for people, free of extraction and exploitation. Our next monthly newsletter comes out soon. Make sure you're signed up: https://lnkd.in/eeEqy644

I'm thrilled to see the Michigan Supreme Court ruling in favor of environmental protection! The ruling grants state regulators full authority to ensure livestock and poultry operations better manage the billions of pounds of manure contributing to waterway contamination. This landmark 5-2 decision, the most significant environmental protection measure in Michigan in years, is a testament to the power of persistence and the law in protecting policies that support people, animals, and planet over corporate profit. Nitrates and phosphorus from industrial animal agriculture and the cheap feed grown to support it have long plagued Lake Erie and other state waters, and this ruling marks a crucial step toward a cleaner, healthier environment. At FarmSTAND, we believe in amplifying these wins and investing in the law as a powerful tool for social change. Let's continue to support and celebrate these important strides toward a more equitable and sustainable future! 🌱✨ #LegalWins #SustainableAgriculture #FarmSTAND

NEW: Because all workers deserve a safe workplace, a variety of national and state-based organizations that provide education and legal services to workers - represented by FarmSTAND - have filed an amicus brief in defense of a critical Biden Administration rule related to worker safety protections.  OSHA's "walkaround" rule clarifies that the Occupational Safety & Health Act allows workers to designate a third-party employee representative to aid OSHA’s inspection of their physical worksite. But Big Business wants to use a meritless lawsuit to stop it from taking effect. We're taking this action alongside Sur Legal Collaborative, Worksafe, Justice at Work Pennsylviania, National Black Worker Center, National Employment Law Project, and MA Coalition for Safety & Health (MassCOSH). More on why this rule is necessary and lawful here: https://lnkd.in/e8_Ajg2H

Noticed more product recalls for vegetables in recent years? As our food system has increased its reliance on factory farming over the decades, pathogens like E.coli have made the jump to being standard leafy green contaminants. Staff Attorney Holly Bainbridge explains how by understanding the ways industrial animal ag contaminates produce with dangerous pathogens, we can begin to address the root causes of foodborne illness and advocate for a food system that prioritizes safety and sustainability: https://lnkd.in/dM-k4dih