Proposed US Welfare Overhaul Excludes Most Farm Animals

On Sept. 21, FDA and USDA announced animal-welfare initiatives. An FDA rule allows non-animal methods to assess drug safety before human trials, effective Feb. 4, 2027 unless public comment changes it. Animal testing stays allowed; language shifts from "animal tests" to "nonclinical tests." Brooke Rollins announced a 2027 dog-welfare proposal on medical care, exercise, socialization and research use, saying animals "deserve to be treated with respect and cared for properly" and promising new standards, training and monitoring staff. USDA will update the Animal Welfare Act, which excludes farm animals, formed an Animal Protection Bureau, and plans 20% more independent investigators. Delcianna Winders said slaughter speeds may reach 175 chickens per minute. Sara Amundson called the FDA move "a historic milestone in our long-standing effort to dismantle outdated federal policies that have kept animal testing entrenched in drug development." Winders labeled existing farm protections "poorly enforced," said "States don't fill that void," and warned extreme speed slaughter means more animals "dragged, kicked, thrown, and even scalded and skinned alive." A 2026 GAO review found one Twenty-Eight Hour Law referral to DOJ from 2013-2025 and no enforcement. Separate laws cover slaughter and transit. Kennedy's department launched a progress webpage.