Activists disrupted the American Dairy Product Institute’s “Dairy Purchasing & Risk Management Seminar” with an urgent message: the dairy industry’s reliance on feeding chickens to cows is fueling the spread of bird flu. They warned that this practice endangers public health and could spark the next pandemic.
The activists called for an end to taxpayer-funded bailouts. Instead, they urged a shift toward a plant-based, slaughter-free food system. They demanded that dairy financiers take responsibility for the risks they’re enabling.
“Wells Fargo finances a system that feeds chickens to cows, driving outbreaks like Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. By doing this, you’re not just risking supply chain disruptions—you’re laying the groundwork for the next pandemic in the United States,” said William Vavrin from Free from Harm.
The U.S. dairy industry now depends heavily on government subsidies, which make up 73% of its revenue. These taxpayer dollars support a system linked to deadly outbreaks like bird flu, which has already hit dairy herds hard, especially in California.
At the seminar, while attendees focused on pricing and market trends, activists pointed to a much deeper crisis. Bird flu has spread across farms in 14 states, killing cows and threatening both animal and human health. In some cases, bodies of dead cows pile up as rendering plants fail to keep up.
WAN has reported extensively on the disturbing rise in bird flu outbreaks across the U.S., exposing the devastating toll on both animals and public health. Coverage has included Merced County, California, where nearly 119,000 birds were culled in December 2024 due to a severe outbreak. WAN also reported on California’s declaration of a state of emergency after dairy cows tested positive for the virus—marking a dangerous and unprecedented leap in transmission that further highlights the risks of intensive animal agriculture.
Despite this, the government recently poured $200 million into helping the dairy industry manage these outbreaks. Activists say this is just a bandage on a broken system—one that can’t survive without constant financial aid.
“We’re paying for a pandemic to happen,” one protester stated. “This isn’t just about milk—it’s about how much longer we’ll keep funding a broken system that puts us all at risk.”
Wells Fargo, a major lender to industrial dairy farms, was a key focus of the protest. Activists accused the bank of funding practices that drive disease, pollute the environment, and threaten public health—all for short-term profit.
“The dairy industry is on life support, and it’s time we pull the plug,” said a lead activist. “Wells Fargo and the government are keeping it alive at our expense—financially, environmentally, and in terms of public health. We’re calling for a switch to investment in sustainable, plant-based alternatives.”
The activists stressed that real change won’t come just from changing what consumers buy. It will come from removing the financial lifelines that allow harmful industries to thrive.
Free from Harm is a non-profit organization committed to building a slaughter-free, plant-based food system. They focus on challenging the power structures that shape our food system through bold, grassroots action.
