The Animal Agriculture Alliance released two updated reports exposing the tactics and vast funding of vegan and animal rights groups in the U.S.
The Major Animal Activist Groups Web report illustrates the strategic, interconnected nature of these organizations, while the Radical Vegan Activism report highlights trends and incidents of extremist action.
“Animal activist group tactics are becoming more extreme in nature, putting farmers, ranchers, and food workers—not to mention food security—at risk,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO of the Alliance. “While some groups may outwardly appear more moderate in goals and beliefs, they are all connected by one key mission: to eliminate animal agriculture and take a nutrient-dense food group off of the menu.”
Collectively, the profiled groups bring in over $865 million in annual revenue, money the Alliance said is used to drive anti-animal agriculture campaigns and legal actions aimed at dismantling the U.S. food production system.
Documented attacks
According to the updated Radical Vegan Activism report, nearly one in four animal rights extremist attacks now target farmers and food workers. In 2024 alone, the Alliance documented 189 actions against agriculture and 62 against food services, including:
• Fifty-nine acts of vandalism.
• Forty-three incidents of animal theft or release.
• Thirty-one trespasses.
• Five cases of arson.
These actions spanned the U.S., with Massachusetts (37 incidents), California (36 incidents) and New York (34 incidents) among the most targeted states. Globally, the U.S. ranked second behind the United Kingdom for such attacks, recording more than 300 incidents last year.
Key players
In addition to the activism report, an updated group profile report provides detailed profiles of leading organizations driving anti-agriculture campaigns, showing how they operate and fundraise on a massive scale.
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): With $279 million in revenue, ASPCA engages in pressure campaigns and consumer-targeted initiatives such as “Shop With Your Heart” to steer buyers toward plant-based products. Its campaigns aim to ban common animal production practices and reduce animal product consumption nationwide.
In 2021, the organization faced criticism for using misleading fundraising tactics that led many donors to believe it was connected or affiliated with local SPCAs, when in fact no such affiliation exists.
• Humane World for Animals (formerly The Humane Society of the United States): Rebranded in 2025, Humane World for Animals reported $174.9 million in revenue and $454.7 million in assets. The group seeks to ban animal production practices through legislation, ballot initiatives, lawsuits and shareholder activism.
Leadership has expressed abolitionist goals: “My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture,” said senior director John “J.P.” Goodwin in a 1996 internet activist listserv.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization with $85.2 million in revenue, openly opposes the use of animals in food, clothing entertainment, and research.
“There is no nutritional need for humans to eat any animal product,” the group states on its website. PETA buys stocks in companies to introduce shareholder resolutions targeting animal agriculture practices and claims the industry is “humane-washing” consumers into believing animals are raised humanely.
• Mercy for Animals: Mercy for Animals, which reported $12.5 million in revenue, promotes veganism and employs undercover and drone investigations to influence food companies. President Leah Garcés has said the organization aims “to end industrial animal agriculture and construct a just and sustainable food system.”
• The Humane League: The Humane League, with $10.5 million in revenue, focuses on corporate pressure campaigns and legislative action to reduce or eliminate animal agriculture. Its former executive director urged activists to “find a vulnerable target … the crueler it is, the quicker the fight is over,” highlighting the group’s aggressive tactics.
• Animal Outlook: Formerly known as Compassion Over Killing, Animal Outlook had $2.1 million in revenue and is known for undercover investigations and urban anti-meat campaigns. The group claims “animal agriculture practices are places of cruelty, abuse and sometimes criminal acts” and actively works to reduce animal protein in food systems.
• Animal Recovery Mission (ARM): ARM reported $2.3 million in revenue and specializes in undercover investigations, sometimes conducting raids and offering rewards for arrests. Founder Richard Couto has declared, “The only way to end atrocities against animals is to work toward ending the consumption of and use of animal products altogether.”
• Direct Action Everywhere (DXE): This Berkeley-based group has a stated mission to “achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation,” and founder Wayne Hsiung has said, “We are trying to destroy animal agriculture.”
DXE, designated extreme risk, is notorious for trespassing, animal theft (“open rescues”) and online tools like Project Counterglow to map U.S. farms for protests. The group reported $432,193 in revenue, although the Alliance noted DXE is primarily funded by Friends of DXE, which does not publicly release its tax filings.
These profiles reinforce what the Alliance calls a coordinated strategy to disrupt animal agriculture at every level—from farms and restaurants to state legislatures and shareholder meetings.
The Major Animal Activist Groups Web also documents growing legal coordination among these organizations. New connections include Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, The Brooks Institute, Legal Impact for Chickens and Simple Heart Initiative.
The Alliance argues that these activist campaigns threaten not only farmers and ranchers but also the nation’s food security and nutrition.
“The production of meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, and seafood is continuously improving through the animal agriculture community’s commitments to advancing environmental sustainability, animal care, food safety, and nutrition,” the Alliance said. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
