Farm animal treatment: letting states and markets sort it out

The New York Times’s “Room for Debate” feature has a round table up on the movement for more humane treatment of farm animals and invited me to participate. I argue that local variation in laws and the emergence of distinct markets for humanely raised meat are preferable to calls for federal government intervention. More: Tom Laskawy, Grist; and see my Cato follow-on post referenced here.

May 10 roundup

  • Hey, why don’t we invade people’s privacy so we can recruit them as figureheads for our privacy-invasion class action? [Cal Biz Lit, earlier on Starbucks pot-convictions case] Class-action coupon settlements are a no-win for consumers [Michelle Singletary, WaPo]
  • “Former Silicosis Clients Sue O’Quinn Law Firm, Estate” [Texas Lawyer via PoL, related earlier]
  • Gathering ammunition for suits: “Are your employees recording you?” [Hyman]
  • Canada: “Inflatables too dangerous for school fair” [Free-Range Kids]
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of medical liability reforms [Kachalia & Mello, NEJM]
  • “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About ‘Judge Judy’” [TV Squad]
  • “Woman awarded $45,000 after dog kills cat” [six years ago on Overlawyered]

Good news for dairy farmers

The EPA has finally backed off its contention that dairy operations need to construct elaborate retention structures to prevent milk spills, even though (to cite its previous logic) milk contains oils and thus could be considered an “oil discharge.” [“Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule and Milk,” EPA, reporting on April 12 move; earlier here and here]

May 9 roundup