Paul Shapiro

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Paul Shapiro is the director of the factory farming campaign at the Humane Society of the United States. The most significant effort of the campaign involves working with retailers, food service providers, and universities to end their use of eggs from caged birds. The campaign also played a significant role in helping pass Proposition 204, a successful 2006 Arizona ballot initiative that requires breeding pigs and veal calves on factory farms have enough room to turn around and extend their limbs.

Prior to working at the Humane Society of the United States, in 1995 Shapiro founded the animal advocacy organization Compassion Over Killing and served as its campaigns director until 2005. The organization became well-known for its investigative work exposing conditions for farm animals on factory farms, at livestock auctions, and at slaughter plants. He was profiled in a 2003 Washington Post Style section article entitled "Animal Pragmatism."

Shapiro helped spearhead the campaign to end the use of the "Animal Care Certified" logo on egg cartons in the United States. In that case, the egg industry was labeling eggs from hens confined in battery cages as "Animal Care Certified." After Better Business Bureau rulings, federal petitions, investigations at "Animal Care Certified" egg facilities leading to media exposés, and other efforts, in September 2005, the Federal Trade Commission announced that the logo would be removed from egg cartons nationwide.


[edit] External links

April 2006 USA Today article on HSUS battery cage campaign

June 2005 Satya magazine interview with Paul Shapiro

July 2004 News Channel 8 interview with Paul Shapiro

2003 Veg Family interview with Paul Shapiro