Oregon House Joins the Senate in Passing Bill Taking Aim at One of Factory Farming’s Worst Abuses

Bill Goes to Governor which prohibits the use of cruel crates to confine breeding pigs

The Oregon House followed the lead of the state Senate and approved a landmark measure to end one of factory farming's worst abuses. By a vote of 32-25, the House today passed SB 694, which prohibits the confinement of breeding pigs in metal gestation crates so small the animals can't turn around for months on end. The Senate passed a nearly identical bill 20-9 on May 23rd.

The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 10 million supporters, calls for the governor to sign the bill into law.  Oregon would be the third state to ban gestation crates, but the first state to do so by act of its state legislature.

"Even animals raised for food deserve humane treatment, and The Humane Society of the United States commends the Oregon lawmakers for passing this landmark measure," states Kelly Peterson, Oregon state director for The HSUS. "Gestation crates are notoriously abusive, and they have no place in Oregon."

State Sen. Ginny Burdick (D-Portland) comments, "Gestation crates are truly cruel and inhumane. I encourage the governor to sign this important measure, which simply provides these highly intelligent and social creatures the ability to turn around and stretch their limbs."

Facts:

• SB 694 prohibits confining pigs during pregnancy in a manner that prevents them from lying down, fully extending their limbs, or turning around freely.
• Gestation crates are two-foot-wide metal cages that confine millions of breeding pigs for nearly their entire lives. The crates are so restrictive that the animals can't even turn around for months on end. The animals suffer both leg and joint problems along with psychosis from this extreme treatment.
• The HSUS has 130,000 members in Oregon.

Timeline:

• June 11, 2007 — House approves SB 694 by a vote of 32-25.
• May 23, 2007 — House Judiciary Committee approves SB 694 by a vote of 6-3.
• April 26, 2007 — Senate approves SB 694 by a vote of 20-9.
• April 12, 2007 — SB 694 passes the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 3-1.
• March 2007 — Burger King announces that it has started phasing in the use of pork from producers that don't confine pigs in gestation crates.
• March 2007 — Wolfgang Puck announces the implementation of a wide-ranging program to improve animal welfare in his supply chain, including not using veal or pork from crated sows.
• March 2007 — U.S. Congressmembers Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) introduce H.R. 1726, the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act, which requires animal producers supplying federal programs with meat, dairy, and eggs to comply with a moderate set of animal welfare standards.
• February 28, 2007 —The Senate Judiciary Committee introduces SB 694 at the request of Senator Ginny Burdick (D-Portland District 18).
• January 2007—Smithfield Foods and Maple Leaf Foods announce that they are phasing out their use of gestation crates to confine breeding pigs.
• November 2006—In a landslide, Arizona voters pass an HSUS-led initiative banning gestation crates and veal crates in the state (effective 2013).
• January 2005—Senator Ginny Burdick introduces a bill to ban the use of gestation crates to confine breeding pigs.
• November 2002—Florida voters overwhelmingly approve an HSUS-led measure banning gestation crates in the state (effective 2008).

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at www.humanesociety.org.