Jury convicts California activist who took chickens from Perdue Farms
plant
[October 30, 2025]
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California animal rights activist who took four
chickens from a major Perdue Farms poultry plant was found guilty
Wednesday of felony conspiracy, trespassing and other charges and faces
several years in jail.
Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals from Petaluma Poultry
but argued she wasn't breaking the law because she was rescuing the
birds from a cruel situation. The trial lasted about seven weeks in
Sonoma County, an agricultural area of Northern California.
The Santa Rosa jury took less than a day to find Rosenberg guilty on all
counts. The activist with Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, a
Berkeley-based animal rights group, was on trial for two misdemeanor
counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor count of tampering with a vehicle
and a felony conspiracy charge.
Rosenberg said she does not regret what she did.
“I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical
care,” Rosenberg said following her conviction. “When we see cruelty and
violence, we can choose to ignore it or to intervene and try to make the
world a better place. I chose to intervene, and because I did, Poppy,
Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are alive today. For that, I will never be
sorry.”
The group named the birds and placed them in an animal sanctuary.
Rosenberg walked out of court wearing an ankle monitor and briefly spoke
to supporters, who were holding signs that read “Prosecute Petaluma
Poultry” and “Right to Rescue.” She told them she would immediately head
to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and report animal cruelty at
Petaluma Poultry.
“We’re going to go now and report Petaluma Poultry and ask them to
please finally give justice to these animals,” she said.
Rosenberg's attorney, Chris Carraway, said the district attorney's
office was ignoring criminal animal cruelty in Sonoma County factory
farms and that he plans to appeal the verdict.
“Sonoma County spent over six weeks and hundreds of thousands of
taxpayer dollars to protect a multi-billion-dollar corporation from the
rescue of four chickens worth less than $25,” Carraway said in a
statement. “No doubt, the District Attorney’s office would never have
spent a fraction of this time or money if the chickens had been dead in
a supermarket meat case."
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Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg, who is on trial for taking
four chickens from one of Perdue Farms' major poultry plants, is
pictured outside Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa, Calif.
on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Rosenberg’s sentencing is set for Dec. 3, when she faces a maximum
jail sentence of 4 1/2 years, Sonoma County District Attorney Carla
Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said in a statement the verdict affirms no one is above
the law.
“While we respect everyone’s right to free expression, it is
unlawful to trespass, disrupt legitimate businesses, and endanger
workers and animals in pursuit of a political or social agenda," she
said.
Petaluma Poultry has said that DxE is an extremist group that is
intent on destroying the animal agriculture industry. The company
says the animals were not mistreated.
"The jury’s verdict makes it clear: personal beliefs don’t justify
breaking the law," Herb Frerichs, general counsel of Petaluma
Poultry, said in a statement. “DxE members admitted to planning and
carrying out illegal acts — including break-ins, theft of private
data, and stealing livestock — under the guise of activism and to
gain publicity.”
Frerichs said the company supports the right to free speech and
lawful protests, but this was not that.
Rosenberg testified she disguised herself as a Petaluma Poultry
worker using a fake badge and earpiece to take the birds, and then
posted a video of her actions on social media.
Petaluma Poultry is a subsidiary of Perdue Farms — one of the United
States’ largest poultry providers for major grocery chains.
The co-founder of DxE was convicted two years ago for his role in
factory farm protests in Petaluma.
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