Animal Protection: The Future of Activism | 29 locavorism (eating only what grows locally), flexitarianism (a semi-vegetarian diet with occasional meat consumption), vegetarianism, and other manifestations of conscious eating Animal agriculture is the subject of unprecedented scrutiny and criticism, in the wake of high-profile exposes (e.g., the HSUS investigation into a Southern California slaughter plant called the Hallmark Meat Company), and major reports from the FAO (Livestock’s Long Shadow) and the Pew Commission (Putting Meat on The Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America), and widely viewed or read treatments of the issue (e.g., Supersize Me, Food, Inc., Fast Food Nation, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma) With the passage of successful ballot initiatives on farm animal welfare in Florida (2002), Arizona (2006), and California (2008), organized animal protection has become a catalyst for public debate about factory farming, while forcing industry to abandon some of the most controversial intensive confinement practices These victories, especially the passage of Proposition in California, have reordered political perceptions of this issue, signaling to lawmakers that there is a dominant sentiment in the public for animal welfare and a new paradigm in food production The younger generations of Americans will grow up with a new sensibility about the basic treatment of farm animals, regulatory bodies will be charged with ensuring their welfare as new laws are passed, and the entire landscape of opportunity in this sector of humane work will be transformed Innovation, technological or otherwise, as a continuing force for good or ill to animals, is another hallmark of our age Genetic engineering, however, can cut both ways It can make it possible to prevent suffering by precluding the birth of male chicks in the egg industry, or advance humane population control through the mechanism of immunocontraception On the other hand, it promises to open up the prospects for replicating several thousand monogenic disorders in laboratory animals, perhaps leading to their expanded use in biomedical research, and for increased emphasis on cloning and the propagation of transgenic animals, with attendant suffering and health problems On the unambiguously positive side, innovations in the marketplace are making it easier to reduce our impacts on animals Soy- or wheat-based meat facsimiles, in vitro testing in the cosmetics and household products industry, and synthetic and natural fiber clothing all provide a pathway for alternatives to animal use, without requiring sacrifice or any reduction in our quality of life Clearly, in the face of global trade and capitalism, the humane movement must expand its reach to address problems in developing nations Many animal issues, such as testing, animal agriculture, and the fur trade, necessarily transcend national boundaries, while others such as companion animal overpopulation and wildlife protection, present imposing challenges in nations where animal care and control entities and wildlife protection agencies are weak or lacking entirely Through direct aid, training, and improved worldwide enforcement of international wildlife treaties, the United States and other affluent nations can and must extend themselves in support of animals in need and help build local and regional capacity to address these problems In the United States, high-profile cases of animal abuse or tragedy have raised consciousness about our responsibilities