Factory farming touches nearly every plate in America, yet few people stop to consider the human and animal cost behind it. The scale is staggering, the suffering often hidden, and the need for change has never been greater. For more than two decades, Leah Garcés has worked alongside farmers, advocates, and communities to help build a kinder, more sustainable food system.
Her focus sharpened after becoming a mother. If time away from her family was required, it had to create meaningful impact. That clarity led her to dedicate her work entirely to farmed animals, whose immense numbers and largely invisible suffering make factory farming one of the most urgent ethical challenges of our time.
From Opposition to Collaboration
Early in her advocacy, Garcés viewed farmers as adversaries. That perspective changed when she began meeting contract poultry farmers and listening to their realities. Many operate under restrictive agreements with large corporations, carrying heavy debt while having little control over their operations.
Instead of confrontation, she chose collaboration.
By approaching farmers with curiosity rather than blame, Garcés discovered that many feel trapped in the very system they help sustain. Real transformation, she believes, begins with listening and building unlikely alliances.
The Overlooked Human Cost
The consequences of factory farming extend far beyond animals. Garcés points to the tragic death of Duvon Perez, a child laborer killed while cleaning machinery in a slaughterhouse. Investigations later uncovered illegal child labor in multiple states, often involving immigrant children working dangerous overnight shifts.
The penalties for such violations are frequently minimal, raising serious questions about accountability.
For Garcés, stories like this reveal a broader truth: industrial agriculture harms vulnerable human communities as well as animals. Change begins when individuals recognize their power to opt out of systems that conflict with their values. Everyday purchasing decisions help shape cultural norms.
How Change Takes Root
While many assume movements are driven by celebrities or institutions, Garcés sees transformation growing from within communities. When neighbors, schools, and social circles begin making more compassionate choices, those decisions gain
momentum and become sustainable.
Young people represent a particularly powerful force. Children often possess a natural empathy toward animals, yet social pressures can erode that instinct over time. Programs that connect compassionate youth help reinforce their values and empower the next generation of advocates.
Sanctuaries also play a vital role, creating spaces where education and connection foster lifelong awareness.
The Power of One Life
Garcés experienced this connection firsthand after rescuing a chicken named Henrietta during the pandemic. Henrietta bonded with her daughter, displayed a distinct personality, and brought unexpected joy to the family. The experience became the foundation for the award winning short film Henrietta Finds a Nest, reminding viewers that animals are individuals capable of relationship and emotion.
Moving Forward
Advocates must balance difficult truths with hopeful possibilities. Garcés often describes compassion as a muscle. When exercised, it expands, influencing how we treat both animals and one another.
Transforming a system as vast as factory farming can feel overwhelming. Yet lasting change rarely begins with sweeping gestures. It starts with listening, learning, and choosing differently in everyday moments.
A more humane food system will not emerge overnight. It will be built gradually by people willing to look closer, act thoughtfully, and participate in creating a future rooted in responsibility, empathy, and care.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction
[02:15] The moment factory farming became central to Leah’s mission.
[06:00] The truth of who works in factory farms and why the curtain must be pulled.
[12:00] Sparking change right in your own backyard.
[16:00] The power of LEAP to change the narrative.
[19:50] How Henrietta, the chicken, changed everything.
[25:15] The new food pyramid and hidden dangers to our health and environment.
[31:00] Integrating veganism into every aspect of our lives.
[35:00] A reminder of how normalized cruel practices actually are.
About Leah Garcés
Leah Garcés is a globally recognized advocate, author, and leader working to transform the food system and end factory farming. She is the former president and CEO of Mercy For Animals and the author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry and Transfarmation: The Movement to Free Us from Factory Farming.
With nearly two decades of leadership in the animal protection movement, Leah has partnered with some of the world’s largest food companies to drive meaningful change while helping farmers transition toward more sustainable livelihoods.
Prior to Mercy For Animals, Leah oversaw international campaigns in 14 countries at the World Society for the Protection of Animals and founded the U.S. office of Compassion in World Farming. Her work has been featured in major national and global media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, VICE, and the Chicago Tribune.
Leah holds a Master of Science in Environment and Development from King’s College London and has presented at global forums such as TEDx, RIO+10, and the World Health Organization’s Global Forum for Health Research.
The first female and Latinx president of Mercy For Animals, Leah is half Colombian and half American and has lived in Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three children, and cat. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to mindful leadership, rural economic development, and social justice.
Follow Leah on Social Media
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About Cheryl Moss
Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. She is also the founder of the Funding Blueprint for Sanctuaries summit designed to empower those involved with sanctuaries sustainable funding streams.
A passionate advocate for animal welfare, she is dedicated to ending factory farming and is working to raise $100,000 for Mercy For Animals to support underrepresented sanctuaries.
Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she promotes plant-based living through her books, Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, which inspire young readers to
embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.
When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates, and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.
https://www.facebook.com/BLFAnimals/
https://x.com/betterlife4anim
https://www.instagram.com/betterlife4animals/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylmossabetterlifeforanimals/
