WASHINGTON—In a February 13 news release, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) condemned the animal-related provisions in the Farm Bill text recently unveiled by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. The organization expressed concern that it would negatively impact billions of farm animals, dogs, cats and horses.
The bill includes what the ASPCA considers “a dangerous provision” that would overturn existing state and local animal welfare laws. According to its news release, this would have disastrous consequences for farm animals and higher-welfare farmers. The bill would also prevent interventions for dogs who are suffering in puppy mills. And despite “strong, bipartisan support,” the ASPCA contends it does not include a critical provision that would protect the tens of thousands of American horses exported for slaughter each year.
“The Farm Bill released by the House Agriculture Committee attacks state protections for farm animals, puts dogs in puppy mills at even greater risk, and fails to address the horse slaughter crisis. If passed, it would have disastrous consequences for billions of animals,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of Government Relations for the ASPCA. “Instead of continuing to prop up systems that perpetuate cruelty to animals, we urge Congress to reject the dangerous language in the House bill and take this critical opportunity to ensure that the final Farm Bill upholds state farm animal protection laws, protects dogs in puppy mills and ends horse slaughter for good.”
Problematic provisions
The House Farm Bill includes the following animal-related provisions, with potential implications as outlined by the ASPCA:
- Overturns State Farm Animal Welfare Laws: The House bill includes the Save Our Bacon Act (H.R. 4673), a rebranded version of the widely unpopular Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. This language is an unprecedented overreach of federal power that would eliminate states’ ability to regulate agriculture and overturn popular animal protection laws, including bans on cruel farming practices, and prevent states from passing new ones. If passed, this provision would undo years of progress toward building a more humane food system and force a race to the bottom. As a result, millions of farm animals would likley be condemned to life in a cage. This would betray thousands of higher-welfare farmers who have already invested in more humane animal housing systems. It would also fail American voters and consumers who have no appetite for cruelty.
- Weakens Protections for Dogs Suffering in Puppy Mills: Instead of strengthening the law for dogs in puppy mills, the House Farm Bill would stand in the way of their rescue. Under the Animal Welfare Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has the duty to remove any dogs who are found “suffering.” The House Farm Bill, however, makes that much harder by requiring that their suffering be “unrelieved.” USDA data reveals that sick and injured animals rarely receive aid under the current standard, so the likelihood of preventing their suffering under this more restrictive standard would be nearly nonexistent. The provision would also make it optional for the agency to intervene when animals are suffering by allowing the USDA to merely consider removing suffering dogs or notify law enforcement that dogs are suffering at a facility. Without the obligation to remove these animals and provide them care, state and local law enforcement and animal control could be left with the full physical and financial responsibility of rescuing and caring for animals, straining already limited resources, delaying critical intervention and prolonging animal cruelty.
- Fails to Include Bipartisan Prohibition on Horse Slaughter: Despite congressional efforts that have effectively blocked the operation of horse slaughterhouses on U.S. soil since 2007, tens of thousands of American horses continue to be shipped to Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses that supply other countries with horsemeat. The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661), cosponsored by more than half of the U.S. House of Representatives, would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act—which passed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill—to include equines, closing down the horse slaughter pipeline for good.
The House’s version of the Farm Bill is expected to be voted on by the House Agriculture Committee in the coming weeks. The ASPCA encourages members of the public to contact their U.S. representatives to urge them to pass a more humane Farm Bill that protects animals, people and the planet. To contact your member of Congress, please visit www.aspca.org/farmbill.
About the ASPCA
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes every animal deserves to live free from suffering. For more than 150 years, the organization has been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect millions of lives in the fight against animal cruelty. The ASPCA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than 2 million supporters nationwide. For more information, visit aspca.org.