In this week’s episode of Rising Anxieties, Mariann Sullivan dives headfirst into the meat industry’s surveillance state that would make Big Brother blush. From the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s creepy database of 2,400 activists (complete with tracking their romantic partners) to their direct line to the FBI, we discover that taking photos of farm conditions is now considered “extreme activity” while the industry portrays itself as the victim. Meanwhile, McDonald’s Canada unveils a veggie burger—a revolutionary concept that hasn’t quite made it across the border yet. Apparently, anxieties are rising everywhere… especially in the meat industry’s paranoid war rooms.

Episode Highlights:

• The Animal Agriculture Alliance has created a database tracking over 2,400 animal rights activists, including monitoring their personal relationships and social media activity
• Industry surveillance includes sharing activists’ information with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, classifying activities like “observing farm conditions” as “extreme”
• The meat industry funds professional security firms to monitor activists and counter their messaging while portraying themselves as victims
• McDonald’s Canada launches a new plant-based option that can be ordered vegan by omitting the mayo
• Mariann teases an upcoming Animal Law Podcast interview about a significant First Amendment case involving animal rights activists

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