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Full-Text Articles in Law
Opening The Gates Of Cow Palace: Regulating Runoff Manure As A Hazardous Waste Under Rcra, Reed J. Mccalib
Opening The Gates Of Cow Palace: Regulating Runoff Manure As A Hazardous Waste Under Rcra, Reed J. Mccalib
Michigan Law Review
In 2015, a federal court held for the first time that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) may regulate runoff manure as a “solid waste” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). The holding of Community Ass’n for Restoration of the Environment, Inc. v. Cow Palace, LLC opened the gates to regulation of farms under the nation’s primary toxic waste statute. This Comment argues that, once classified as a “solid waste,” runoff manure fits RCRA’s definition of “hazardous waste” as well. This reclassification would expand EPA’s authority to monitor and respond to the nation’s tragically common groundwater-contamination emergencies.
The Environmental Effects Of Cruelty To Agricultural Animals, Kyle H. Landis-Marinello
The Environmental Effects Of Cruelty To Agricultural Animals, Kyle H. Landis-Marinello
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
Laws criminalizing animal abuse should apply to the agricultural industry. When we exempt the agricultural industry from these laws, factory farms increase production to unnaturally high levels. This increased production causes devastating environmental effects, such as climate change, water shortages, and the loss of topsoil. In light of these effects, the law needs to do much more to regulate the agricultural industry, and the first step should be to criminalize cruelty to agricultural animals. This would force the industry to slow down production to more natural levels that are much less harmful to the environment.
One Bad Day: Thoughts On The Difference Between Animal Rights And Animal Welfare, Neil D. Hamilton
One Bad Day: Thoughts On The Difference Between Animal Rights And Animal Welfare, Neil D. Hamilton
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
The lawsuit pitting the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals against the New Jersey Department of Agriculture brings into sharp focus the issue of animal rights versus animal welfare that has been dividing animal activists, farmers, and society for decades. On one side are proponents of animal rights—a set of rights articulated by humans but granted to animals to govern how we treat them. For many believers this includes the right not to be owned and certainly not to be eaten. On the other side are proponents of animal welfare—also a set of human derived standards …
"It's The Right Thing To Do": Why The Animal Agriculture Industry Should Not Oppose Science-Based Regulations Protecting The Welfare Of Animals Raised For Food, Angela J. Geiman
"It's The Right Thing To Do": Why The Animal Agriculture Industry Should Not Oppose Science-Based Regulations Protecting The Welfare Of Animals Raised For Food, Angela J. Geiman
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
Since the beginning of history, people have used farm animals to assist with their work and to provide a source of food. These agricultural pursuits were not questioned; rather, they were a widely-accepted way of life. In fact, many people still say that the very purpose of livestock on this Earth is to provide these resources for mankind. As for the proper way to treat our livestock, we commonly hear farmers and livestock producers make comments like, “If we take care of the animals, they will take care of us,” and, “We treat our animals well because that’s just good …
A Case Study On Cruelty To Farm Animals: Lessons Learned From The Hallmark Meat Packing Case, Nancy Perry, Peter Brandt
A Case Study On Cruelty To Farm Animals: Lessons Learned From The Hallmark Meat Packing Case, Nancy Perry, Peter Brandt
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
“I need the public to understand that my office takes all cases involving animal cruelty very seriously . . . [and i]t doesn’t matter whether the mistreated animal is a beloved family pet or a cow at a slaughterhouse. Unnecessary cruelty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by law.” San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos (February 15, 2008) One morning in January 2008, images of horrific animal cruelty were blasted by Internet, television, and print media throughout the country. The story was all the more shocking in that the animals at …
Animal Ethics And The Law, Bernard Rollin
Animal Ethics And The Law, Bernard Rollin
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
Everyone reading this Article is doubtless aware of the woeful lack of legal protection for farm animals in the United States. Not only do the laws fail to assure even a minimally decent life for the majority of these animals, they do not provide protection against the most egregious treatment. As both a philosopher who has helped articulate new emerging societal ethics for animals, and as one who has successfully developed laws embodying that ethic—notably the 1985 federal laws protecting laboratory animals—I will stress the direction we need to move in the future to enfranchise farm animals. I have seen …
An Argument For The Basic Legal Rights Of Farmed Animals, Steven M. Wise
An Argument For The Basic Legal Rights Of Farmed Animals, Steven M. Wise
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
The most abused beings in the United States are those whom we raise and kill for food. The numbers of dead are staggering. Most are victims of the severe and almost entirely unregulated practices that Americans permit on their factory farms. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2007, a total of 10.4 billion land-based animals were killed by the American food industry. These included 9.4 billion broiler chickens, 450 million laying hens, 317 million turkeys, 121 million pigs, 39 million bovines, 28 million ducks, 10 million rabbits, and 4 million sheep and goats—fifty …
Animal Cruelty Laws And Factory Farming, Joseph Vining
Animal Cruelty Laws And Factory Farming, Joseph Vining
Michigan Law Review First Impressions
“Should laws criminalizing animal abuse apply to animals raised for food?” The answer is yes, and yes especially because farm animals are generally now under the control of business corporations. State and federal criminal law have proved critical in modifying corporate policy and practice in other areas, a current example being worker safety. Criminal liability today would include criminal liability of the corporate entity itself, and would thus also introduce the most effective regulation of individual handling of farm animals—regulation by the corporation, which has methods and resources public agencies cannot match. We have a background public policy of humane …
Seeds Of Distrust: Federal Regulation Of Genetically Modified Foods, Thomas O. Mcgarity
Seeds Of Distrust: Federal Regulation Of Genetically Modified Foods, Thomas O. Mcgarity
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
This Article describes and evaluates the existing federal regulatory regime for protecting public health from risks posed by foods derived from GM plants. Part I briefly describes the technology involved in genetically modifying plants and relates the ongoing debates over the risks and benefits of GM food plants. Part II examines in detail the regulatory regime that has evolved in the United States to regulate the safety of GM foods, focusing in particular upon the pervasive role that the substantial equivalence doctrine has played in that regime. Finally, Part III suggests a more precautionary approach toward regulating GM foods that …
Federal Regulation Of Agricultural Biotechnologies, Thomas O. Mcgarity
Federal Regulation Of Agricultural Biotechnologies, Thomas O. Mcgarity
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Part I of this Article describes some of the risks and benefits of newly emerging agricultural biotechnologies. After discussing, in Part II, the role of federal agencies in regulating agricultural biotechnologies, Part III of the Article proposes elements for an adequate regulatory regime. Part IV then measures the existing legal authorities, as implemented by the USDA and the EPA, against the ideal elements. Part V examines the willingness of these agencies to regulate. Finally, Part VI suggests changes that can be made in the current regulatory regime to bring about more effective regulation and to enhance public trust in regulatory …