Manning Beef closed for good; NYC names vegan food policy chief

The Pico Rivera Planning Commission voted unanimously to permanently revoke Manning Beef's planning permission, ending nearly a century of operation [42]. Animal Outlook's Director of Investigations, Scott David, delivered public testimony citing the facility's documented record: 61 USDA Non-compliance Records between 2018 and 2025 for violations of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, including starving animals, excessive electric shocking, and striking them in the face [42]. The USDA suspended inspections twice, in 2020 for "an egregious act of inhumane handling" and again in 2022 for "a trend of repetitive noncompliance" [42]. Animal Outlook's late-2024 undercover investigation documented a downed cow shocked more than 20 times with an electric prod, cows dropped head-first onto concrete floors, and multiple animals butchered while showing signs of sensibility to pain [42]. FOIA records obtained by the organization also revealed cockroach infestations and E. coli in ground beef bound for the National School Lunch Program [42]. Manning Beef's owner pleaded with the commission; three lawyers argued it lacked the authority to revoke the permit. Local residents testified about noise and odor. The commission held [42].

Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Siddhartha Sanchez as executive director of the Mayor's Office of Food Policy [65]. The Mayor's Office describes Sanchez as a lifelong vegan with more than two decades in nonprofit leadership, government philanthropy, and community-based food systems [65]. He comes from the Bronx River Alliance, where his work included the Bronx River Foodway, a half-acre edible food forest in Concrete Plant Park [65]. The MOFP director advises the mayor on all issues related to the city's food system [65]. Mamdani's flagship food initiative is building five city-operated grocery stores targeted at neighborhoods identified as food deserts [65]. "Food security is inseparable from racial and economic justice," Sanchez said, "and for too many New Yorkers, especially in low-income communities of color, access to healthy, affordable food remains out of reach" [65].

The Hawaii Supreme Court agreed to hear a habeas corpus petition filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project on behalf of Mari and Vaigai, two Asian elephants at the Honolulu Zoo [18]. Mari arrived in 1982; Vaigai followed a decade later [18]. Lower courts dismissed the petition, holding that elephants are not "persons" under Hawaii statute. The NhRP argues that the elephants' documented cognitive and social capacities, including lifelong bonds, grief behavior, and complex communication, make them candidates for legal personhood and a constitutional right to bodily liberty [18]. Lead counsel Jake Davis described the proceedings as "a historic moment not just for these two individuals, but for the larger movement to recognize that beings with complex inner lives deserve legal protections rooted in that reality" [18]. The Asian elephant is classified as vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund [18]. A date for oral arguments has not yet been set [18].

At a cross-party European Parliament event on June 24, farmers from across the EU called on policymakers to strengthen support for agricultural diversification into plant-based production [39]. The event was co-hosted by MEPs across five parliamentary groups and organized by a coalition of more than 20 organizations advocating for an EU Plant-Based Action Plan [39]. It coincided with the release of the Growing Resilience report, documenting 33 cases of farmers diversifying into plant-based production, including an Austrian farmer moving into tofu, a Dutch farmer shifting into soy products, and an Irish farmer growing pulses [39]. Of those who diversified, 66.7% reported a positive quality-of-life impact, and more than half the producers in the report are under 40, compared to an average EU farmer age of 57 [39]. Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen delivered the keynote: "We need to support farmers who are making EU agriculture more resilient through diversity. The next CAP, the CMO and the soon to be published Protein Plan will support this process. The political direction is clear" [39]. Denmark's 2023 national plant-based action plan remains the reference model for a potential EU-wide framework [39].

Liberation Bioindustries, building a 600,000-liter biomanufacturing facility in Richmond, Indiana, has paused construction again while seeking additional funding [28]. The site, originally scheduled to open by end of 2024, features four 150,000-liter fermenters designed to produce proteins, sweeteners, colors, and other precision fermentation ingredients [28]. CEO Etan Bendheim told AgFunderNews the company has raised "$70-80 million in equity" plus an equipment financing package, and prospective customers have expressed interest exceeding 200% of available capacity, but completing the site requires raising a "substantial" additional sum with no major equipment still to procure, primarily finishing work on electricity, plumbing, and controls [28]. The structural obstacle: customers will not make firm commitments without an operating date, while capital providers want firm commitments before writing checks [28]. CTO Mark Warner is transitioning to a fractional role; in a note to industry stakeholders he said this "should not be interpreted as a loss of confidence in Liberation Bio or the Richmond facility" [28]. No hard deadline for securing funds exists, and existing investors remain supportive [28].