Road trips remind me of a better decade, when poodle skirts and pompadours were in fashion. So when I'm on the open road, Elvis croons from my stereo and the iconic Sonic drive-thru diner is a must on the list of pit stops.

cravingstogo / CC

And now I have another reason to cruise on up to Sonic besides its seriously addictive limeade. The company just agreed to begin purchasing eggs and to double the amount of meat it purchases from suppliers that use less cruel production methods. Under its new animal welfare policy, Sonic will take the following actions:

• The company will urge its chicken suppliers to convert to "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK)—the less cruel method of bird slaughter—or will favor suppliers that convert to CAK systems.
• It will begin phasing in the purchase of "cage-free" eggs from suppliers that don't cram their hens into cages, and it plans to increase the percentage of "cage-free" eggs annually.
• Sonic will double its purchase of "crate-free" pig meat from suppliers that don't confine pregnant sows to cruel gestation crates that restrict nearly all movement.

With the new policy, Sonic adds its voice to those calling for less cruel slaughter methods that will prevent thousands of chickens from suffering broken bones and dying in scalding-hot defeathering tanks—and it will mean more humane living conditions for sows. The company has set an example that we hope other chains will follow. Of course, our offers to meet with execs from McDonald's and KFC still stand.

Written by Karin Bennett

Yesterday was a momentous day for animals living on farms in Michigan, where Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law that phases out veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates on farms across the state!

greenbudget.wordpress / CC

Michigan farmers have been given three years to phase out veal crates and 10 years to get rid of gestation crates and battery cages. This means that farmers will no longer be allowed to immobilize calves in crates that are so small that the animals can barely take a step in any direction. Pregnant pigs will no longer be forced to live in their own excrement in a space too small to turn around in, and hens will get a chance to stretch their wings.

The news comes just a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill making it illegal to dock cows' tails in California, where gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages were banned last year. Now that Michigan has become the seventh state to ban gestation crates, the fifth to ban veal crates, and the second to ban battery cages, we're hoping that laws improving conditions for animals on factory farms will continue to take the nation by storm.

Of course, the best way to prevent animal suffering is to adopt a vegan diet, stat.

Written by Shawna Flavell

In our fight to get KFC to enact minimal welfare standards for the more than 350 million chickens slaughtered for its U.S. restaurants each year, our supporters have helped us choose billboards and dressed up like the Colonel for Halloween. Now we'd like to ask your help with an even bigger task.

We're filing a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking it to take action against KFC for the chain's deliberately deceptive and unfair statements to consumers about the treatment of chickens raised and killed for its buckets and boxes. KFC allows its suppliers to house chickens in crowded sheds—with waste on the floor so thick that the ammonia burns the chickens' skin, feet, eyes, and throats. It allows its suppliers to use a slaughter method in which birds' throats are cut while they are still conscious. A company like that should not be allowed to claim a "commitment to animal welfare."

Please, take the time now to file your own, polite complaint with the FTC about KFC’s false claims of humanity and send this video to 10 friends so they can see just how "humane" KFC chicken really is.

Written by Shawna Flavell

czabe / CC

Yes, Angelina Jolie was spotted wearing what appeared to be a chinchilla-trimmed hat and cape on the set of her latest movie, spurring one of the best blog headlines that we've seen all week. But our L.A. staffers—knowing that Angelina is a longtime fur foe—were on it faster than Liza Minelli can open a bottle of Scotch, and they've received word from the film's publicist that (phew!) the chinchilla is actually synchilla.

Don't worry, Ange, we knew a big-hearted U.N. Goodwill Ambassador like yourself would never wear the skins of achingly adorable little animals who go "coo, coo" when they're excited and like to hold things in their cute little pinkish-gray hands. We just knew it.

Written by Alisa Mullins

With Easter just a few days away, I have two things on my mind. Vegan Peeps candy … can it be done? And wittle baby aminals.

Lucky for me, the peeps (Ha! Get it?) over at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary have my baby-animal fix covered with their live, streaming video of baby chicks.

Let me know if you figure out the vegan Peeps candy thing.

Written by Shawna Flavell

After more than a year of discussions with PETA, CKE Restaurants (the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.) has announced a new animal welfare program that will phase in cage-free eggs, and begin sourcing pork from suppliers that don’t use cruel gestation crates for pregnant pigs. The plan also gives consideration to poultry suppliers that are willing to use controlled-atmosphere killing, which is the most humane form of slaughter available.

Here's what Hardee's spokesman Jeff Mochal said about the change:

This is another victory for farmed animals, and it is a sign that there is a major upheaval in the industry, with many of the biggest players (with the notable exception of KFC, which is still decades behind) making significant improvements in their animal welfare standards in response to pressure from the animal protection community and compassionate consumers. In just the past year, Smithfield Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, and Cargill Meat Solutions took steps to phase out gestation crates for pigs, and Burger King and Wendy's restaurants made similar changes affecting millions of animals.

I make these points whenever we have a victory like this, but I want to really emphasize them this time:

1. Yes, this is a victory for animals. It means that millions upon millions of pigs and chickens will be spared some of the worst tortures that they currently suffer, and it is a sign that with hard work, we can effect change for the better.
2. No, this doesn't mean that our work is anywhere near finished. It just means that our work is effective, and that we have an incentive to work harder and push for more change.
3. Torturing animals less in factory farms is always a good thing, but the best thing that you can do if you want to help animals is to go vegan.

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to get these improvements at Hardees and Carls Jr.! And thanks to CKE Restaurants for helping to encourage such significant changes in their suppliers, and the industry at large.