ABA-TIPS Teleconference to Examine Farmed Animal Rights, Consumer Labeling Issues

The American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s Animal Law Committee will convene a teleconference on September 28, 2010, to discuss farmed animal welfare and related labeling issues. Temple Grandin, a Colorado State University professor well-known for her work in animal science, will be among the panel of experts to discuss (i) “commercial speech and the role of liability for false advertising under federal and state law in the labeling of food products”; (ii) “the movement to promote more detailed labeling regarding animal welfare and to create verifiable compliance”; (iii) “what, if any, legal meanings are ascribed to terms such as ‘humane,’ ‘cage-free,’ ‘free-range,’ ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ and how are they used in practice vis a vis animal welfare”; and (iv) “the rapidly shifting world of scientific awareness and consumer perceptions regarding what constitutes satisfactory animal welfare, and its impact on producers’ ability to provide accurate labeling.”