US Farm Bill alert, SE Asia incubator, and new global slaughter data
Your farmed animal advocacy update for early May 2026
Hi there! 👋 This edition includes an urgent call to action for US advocates on the Farm Bill, a fully funded incubator for farmed animal welfare advocates in Southeast Asia, and a new global data tool for campaign planning.
But first, we have an important ask.
If Hive Highlights has contributed to your work in 2026 in any way, whether through a job lead, funding opportunity, collaboration, or new project, please take two minutes to tell us. Even the smallest outcome matters and helps us understand what’s working and how to serve you better. Simply reply to this email or fill in our short form. We really appreciate it. 🧡
The most popular link from Hive Highlights late April 2026 was the Anima International Fellowship, a fully funded three-week intensive program in Warsaw this September (applications close 17 May!).
To kick off today’s Hive Highlights, here are our 3 top picks from across the movement:
From Movement News
⚖️ Policy, Legislation, and Law: The US House of Representatives passes the Farm Bill including the Save Our Bacon Act, which would nullify state animal welfare laws. US advocates are urged to contact their senators to oppose the bill before a Senate vote.
From Jobs & Opportunities
🔥 Opportunities: Welfare Matters opens applications for its Farmed Animal Welfare Incubator, a 12-week program supporting individuals in Southeast Asia to launch new farmed animal welfare nonprofits, with seed funding of up to $50,000. Apply by 15 June.
From Resources
📚 Research: Faunalytics releases its 2026 Global Animal Slaughter Statistics, an interactive data tool tracking animal slaughter across every region globally and a practical resource for campaign planning and regional strategy.
The most effective advocates are the ones who stay informed, connected, and empowered. That’s what Hive is here for. Go do great things for animals!
Warmly,
Sofia, Chelsea, and the Hive team
How to navigate Hive Highlights
Every two weeks, Hive sends you the latest updates (click to jump):
Movement news: Covering 🐖 Animal Welfare, 🥗 Plant-Based Food & Alternative Protein, ⚖️ Policy, Legislation, and Law, 💪🏾 Animal Advocacy Org Updates, and 🎲 Other
Jobs & Opportunities: Covering 💼 Jobs, 💡 Skilled volunteering, 🔥 Opportunities, 💰 Funding, and 🤝 Upcoming External Events
Resources: Covering 📚 Research, 🎙️ Podcasts, 📙 Books, and 🎥 Videos
Hive updates: Covering the latest from our team!
Other ways to read this newsletter: Extensions Jetwriter AI (to summarize posts) or Read Aloud.
🐖 Animal Welfare
The Animal Welfare Observatory publishes a dossier finding that most of Spain’s top supermarket chains have failed to meet their 2025 cage-free commitments, with an estimated 12.9 million hens still kept in cages across their supply chains.
Eurogroup for Animals updates its report on phasing out cages in the EU, reflecting the current reality of transitioning to cage-free farming systems ahead of expected European institutional action.
Itsi Weinstock outlines four urgent animal welfare funding opportunities for 2026, including stopping the EATS Act, seeding an AIxAnimals fund, ending chicken cages in the US, and halting insect farming before it scales.
Itsi Weinstock publishes an overview of the AIxAnimals space, arguing it is critically underfunded and outlining key projects needed urgently to ensure AI systems consider animal welfare as the technology scales.
Manifund launches the Falcon Fund, a new fund focused on the intersection of animal welfare and transformative AI, making rapid grants of $25,000–$150,000. Donate by 15 May to help reach their $2M fundraising target.
Visa Inc. drops its sponsorship of Milan Fashion Week over the event’s continued allowance of fur on the runway, marking the third major sponsor lost by the event.
🥗 Plant-Based Food & Alternative Protein
AltProtein.Jobs releases its 2025 Impact Report, documenting its transition from a for-profit career platform to a nonprofit talent infrastructure initiative and outlining its strategy for 2026.
The Good Food Institute unveils its 2026 State of the Industry series, offering a global snapshot of the alternative protein landscape covering investment, sales, scientific advancements, and regulatory updates.
Humane World for Animals shares its fifth annual Food Service Industry Protein Sustainability Scorecard, finding that 38% of top US food service companies have commitments to serve more plant-based foods.
The Institute for Future Food Systems releases its March Studies & Reports roundup, covering cancer risk and plant-based diets, deforestation deadline failures, the meat paradox, and more.
Various organizations launch the Plant-Rich Europe campaign, calling on European supermarkets to disclose and rebalance their protein sales ratios.
⚖️ Policy, Legislation, and Law
Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies approves a bill banning the production and sale of foie gras nationwide, pending presidential signature, which would make Brazil the first Latin American country to establish a federal foie gras ban.
Chile’s Congress launches a cross-party Animal Welfare Caucus committed to advancing animal protection legislation, with support from Fundación Derecho y Defensa Animal.
Germany’s highest court rules that existing voluntary welfare standards for turkey farming violate animal welfare law, likely forcing the Ministry of Agriculture to set stronger mandatory minimum standards.
ICARE hosts a free online seminar on 15 May on investigating and litigating animal rights violations in slaughterhouses, featuring perspectives from L214 (France) and Animal Law Focus (Latin America).
💪 Animal Advocacy Org Updates
Animal Advocacy Africa launches a fully interactive directory of farmed animal advocacy organizations across Africa.
Mercy for Animals launches Puntos con Alas, a gamified loyalty program in Latin America designed to build consumer pressure on retailers that have not made cage-free commitments.
Rethink Priorities hosts a free webinar on 12 May on factory farming in Africa, covering the scale of expansion, the organizational landscape, and key funding and capacity gaps in the movement.
We Animals publishes its 2025 annual report, highlighting a year of global photojournalism assignments, widespread media coverage, and growing access to its visual library.
💼 Jobs
Research Program Officer (Sustainable Livestock Systems), European Commission DG AGRI. Brussels, Belgium. Apply by 7 May.
Policy Manager (Finance, Innovation and Competitiveness), European Vegetarian Union. Hybrid, Brussels, Belgium. Apply by 8 May.
Research Program Officer (Startups/Scaleups and Innovation), European Commission DG AGRI. Brussels, Belgium. Apply by 8 May.
UX Product Design Strategist, Sharpen Strategy. Remote, US. Apply by 8 May.
Digital Specialist, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). Remote, Italy. Apply by 12 May.
Senior Fundraiser, CIWF. Remote, Poland. Apply by 13 May.
Global Communications Manager, CIWF. Hybrid, UK. Apply by 14 May.
Associate Vice President of People, The Humane League. Remote, select countries. Apply by 15 May.
Senior Fundraising Manager, CIWF. Hybrid, Netherlands. Apply by 21 May.
Welfare Assessment Manager, Fish Welfare Initiative. Andhra Pradesh, India. Apply by 24 May.
Research Contractor, Faunalytics. Remote. Rolling applications, preferred start 1 June.
Advocacy & Communications Officer, Animal Law Foundation. London, UK.
Government Relations & Strategic Communications Assistant, Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira. Brasília, Brazil.
Manager of Programs, Sinergia Animal. Bangkok, Hybrid, Thailand.
Myrias lists multiple open roles including AI Builder, Chief of Staff, Entrepreneur in Residence, Industry Whisperer (agriculture/aquaculture), Operations Manager, Product Manager, and Program Associate. Remote.
Operations Officer, Convergence Animaux Politique. Partly remote, France.
Video Editor, Animal Equality. Remote, Spain.
Job search tip: Browse Hive’s Jobs and Careers Resources and follow our Slack’s job feed in the #job-posting channel for new positions daily! You can also view the Animal Advocacy Careers, AltProtein.Jobs, Food Impact Careers, and Probably Good job boards.
💡 Job hunting? Also consider skilled volunteering
Volunteering helps you build skills, connections, context, and credentials, all while creating change for farmed animals. For many people, volunteering is a key step towards working professionally in the movement. For others, volunteering is one of several impactful ways to contribute.
Three places to find volunteering opportunities helping farmed animals:
The Hive Slack Community (that’s us!)
🔥 Opportunities
Jordi Casamitjana seeks adults worldwide who identify as vegan or plant-based to complete the Huge Vegan Survey, an anonymous study on the process of adopting and maintaining vegan lifestyles.
The Mission Motor updates its free Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) services based on input from animal advocacy organizations, including program design, evaluation support, and full MEL system partnerships.
Theory of Change Makers opens applications for its 12-month social entrepreneurship incubator in Latin America, supporting evidence-based organization building. Past cohorts have launched farmed animal welfare nonprofits. Apply by 10 May.
Thomas Manandhar-Richardson makes the case for forming AI learning circles, small peer groups who experiment with AI tools together and share findings. Looking to start or join one? Hive is a great place to find others.
💰 Funding
The Chew On This fund opens applications for documentary filmmakers to pitch live at the Hollywood Climate Summit on 4 June for up to $50,000 in funding. Apply by 16 May.
The CARE Conference opens travel support applications for advocates who need financial assistance to attend the event in Warsaw. Apply by 1 July.
Thrive Philanthropy accepts applications for its Thrive Grant ($10,000–$30,000) and Seed Grant (up to $5,000) for organizations outside the US working to overcome factory farming and build plant-based food systems. Apply by 1 June.
Fundraising tip: Hive’s Fundraising Guide includes a database of current opportunities and key resources on how to fundraise.
🤝 Upcoming External Events
Grassroots Animal Rights Summit, 15–17 May. Washington D.C., US.
AVA Summit Canada, 21–24 May. Toronto, Canada.
Sentient Futures London, 22–24 May. London, UK.
EA Global: London, 29–31 May. London, UK.
World Aquaculture Singapore, 3–5 June. Singapore.
International Aquaculture Law & Policy Symposium, 5 June. Birmingham, UK.
Vegan Creator Con, 13–14 June. Los Angeles, US.
AVA Ghana, 16–19 July. Accra, Ghana.
Events tip: View more on the Connect for Animals (CFA) event list, the Effective Altruism Global event page, and our Conference Database.
📚 Research
Animal Charity Evaluators publishes a review of the evidence behind books, documentaries, and podcasts as animal advocacy interventions.
Faunalytics publishes a systematic review of vegan and vegetarian dietary rates across 58 countries over the past decade, mapping the gap between dietary self-identification and actual behavior globally.
Our World in Data finds that strong majorities in the UK and US oppose common factory farming practices, yet meat consumption remains high.
Researchers find that brief meat reduction interventions can backfire, increasing psychological reactance rather than willingness to change.
Tiny Beam Fund releases Beacon Issue 8, summarizing six academic studies on industrial animal agriculture in developing countries, covering topics from the capitalization of livestock systems to food systems priorities in Africa.
🎙️ Podcasts
Canary in a Cornfield
Chris Bryant, PhD.
Future of Foods Interviews
Why Netherlands is Becoming a Global Leader in Cellular Agriculture? with Tom Van Duijn
Knowing Animals:
Our Hen House:
Sentientism
Unchained TV podcast
The Vegan Report:
📙 Books
Animal and Vegan Advocacy: The Psychological Science and Practice of Attitude, Behavior, and Social Change, edited by Kristof Dhont, Robbie Sutton, and Maria Ioannidou. Available for pre-order, shipping September 2026.
🎥 Videos
Faunalytics shares a webinar discussing Globalizing the Factory Farm, its study on how international organizations support the spread of industrial animal agriculture in low- and middle-income countries.
Insights for Impact releases an introductory video on in-ovo sexing for chicks, a useful resource to share with those new to the issue.
¡Hola! Introducing Hive Highlights Latinoamérica 🌎
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our first Spanish-language edition of Hive Highlights, created in collaboration with Lupa! This initiative aims to bridge the language gap, ensuring that news, career opportunities, and global events are accessible to the Latin American community. Check out the April edition for a monthly summary of the most relevant updates for our Spanish-speaking community!
Going to AVA Summit Canada? 🇨🇦
While the Whova app is great during the conference, it expires after 90 days. With AVA summits in Ghana (July) and Thailand (October) still to come, we want to help spark and strengthen year-round connections. Post in the #e-ava-summit channel before 31 May! Share an intro, highlight your workshop, ask the organizers a question, or swap Toronto travel tips. Bonus: Anyone who posts by the deadline will be entered to win a surprise gift from the Hive team! 🎁 Speaking of conferences…
Find us in Toronto & London! 👋
From the Hive team, Sofia Balderson, Alexia Dean, and Angel Lau are heading to AVA Summit Canada (21–24 May) to join farmed animal advocates from across the globe. If you’re attending, we’d love to connect! Look for our orange t-shirts and jumpers in the hallways, or join us at these specific meetups:
Asia Meetup on Friday, 22 May at 2pm
LatAm Meetup on Friday, 22 May at 3pm
Effective Altruism Meetup on Saturday, 23 May at 2pm
Meanwhile, Kevin Xia and Therese Veith will be representing Hive in the UK! Catch Kevin at the Sentient Futures Summit London (22–24 May), or find them both at EA Global: London (29–31 May). Come say Hi(ve)!
More ways to Hive: Virtual events this month 💻
If you aren’t traveling this month, you can still dive into the movement with our two virtual events this month:
Fundraiser’s Community Call, 12 May | Led by Liz Wheeler at Faunalytics, this crowd-sourced session is a chance for fundraisers to swap notes on what’s working and what isn’t. Note: This session will not be recorded to allow for open discussion, but a summary will be sent to all registrants. RSVP now.
Hive Community Conversations, 29 May | Our monthly meetup is all about connection and collaboration. Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just starting out, join us to share what you’re working through and discover new ideas in a supportive space. RSVP now.
Thanks for reading our Hive Highlights: early May 2026 edition 🧡 It’s made possible by the incredible work of animal advocates like you.
📰 Submit inclusions for the next edition: deadline is 18 May, 2026. Note: we are publishing on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of May, as much of our team will be attending AVA Summit Canada!
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