August 2010 Articles

Archives by Months

Prop 2 goes to DC

Prop 2 goes to DC U.S. Reps. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) & Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) this week introduced the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act to set rules around confinement of animal used to produce food purchased by the federal government. The Humane Society of the United States praised the proposal and encouraged Congress to act swiftly to pass the bill. In a news release, HSUS said the bill "simply requires that any food purchased for federal programs comes from animals raised with enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around and stretch their limbs." "This bill requires meat producers who sell to the federal government to follow the same guidelines that California producers have in place to ensure the animals are raised humanely," said Rep. Gallegly in a statement. Seven states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan and Oregon — have passed laws to phase out some form of animal confinement, but no federal laws mandate animal husbandry practices. The federal government spends more than $1 billion buying animal products for a variety of programs and agencies, including the National School Lunch Program, the Armed Services and the Bureau of Prisons, according to HSUS. Sources: meatingplace.com and Ross Pruitt, LSU AgCenter