Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held its first serious hearing on an animal welfare issue since 2000. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, delivered testimony urging the committee and the entire Congress to advance a number of critically-needed welfare reforms.
"Humane treatment of animals is an important matter to millions of people," stated Pacelle. "Americans expect that animals will be treated humanely, and it is up to this committee to ensure that they are."
Pacelle cited the backlog of reforms needed to improve the lives of animals used for agriculture, the pet trade and research and testing. The HSUS urged the committee and the entire Congress to handle these matters in a separate title in the Farm Bill focused on animal welfare.
The HSUS urged the committee to support the following legislation:
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| ©Farm Sanctuary |
| Pigs in gestation crates. |
The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726), introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). This bill requires producers supplying food to the federal government to meet a basic set of modest welfare standards for farm animals. Although more than 10 billion farm animals are killed for meat, eggs and dairy products in the United States each year, federal law does not provide any protection for them while they are on the farm.
The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act (H.R. 661/S. 394), introduced by Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). This bill prohibits downed animals from entering the food supply. "Downed animals"—those too sick or injured to stand and walk on their own—pose serious risks to public health and suffer terribly. Often dragged by chains, pushed by bulldozer, or otherwise forcibly moved to slaughter, downers may be left to languish for days without food, water, or veterinary care.
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| ©The HSUS |
| Dogs and cats used in research need legal protections. |
The Pet Safety and Protection Act (H.R. 1280/S. 714), championed by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Penn.), Phil English (R-Penn.), and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). This bill prohibits the use and research of dogs and cats obtained from random sources such as pet theft and free-to-good-home ads.
The Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act, which was introduced yesterday by Reps. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). The bill would prohibit the use of live animals in sales demonstrations, increase fines for research institutions that violate the Animal Welfare Act, and reinstate a former requirement that the USDA provide Congress with the necessary information to hold the USDA accountable for its enforcement of the Act.
A bill that would require inspection of dog breeding operations that sell directly to the public over the Internet. Current law requires inspections of facilities that sell puppies to pet stores but does not apply to breeders who sell dogs online. The bill would also address the problem of importing puppies from other countries to the U.S. for use in the pet trade.
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| ©Compassion Over Killing |
Chickens, turkeys and other birds not considered
"livestock" under the HMSA suffer slaughter abuses. |
The HSUS also urged Congress to amend the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) to explicitly include chickens, turkeys and other birds. They comprise nearly all animals killed for food in this country. Yet the USDA excludes them from the HMSA, leaving them unprotected from even the worst slaughter abuses.
