Prevent Cruelty California Act
Californians have shown time and time again that they want commonsense protections for animals, the environment, and food safety. Now they’re expressing support for Prevent Cruelty California, a measure to protect the most abused animals in the pork, veal, and egg industries.
This measure will prevent farm animals from being crammed into cages so small they can hardly move an inch. The measure will also ensure that food items sold in California are compliant with these standards. Major companies like Walmart and McDonald's are already implementing similar standards. And yet, agribusiness lobbyists are still fighting these common-sense, moderate regulations. https://preventcrueltyca.com/sites/preventcrueltyca.com/files/Act-language.PDF
Prevents animal cruelty
This measure will prevent the cruel confinement of farm animals, which is why the The Humane Society of the United States and California veterinarians support it. Science shows that pigs, chickens, and cows are intelligent, social animals. But on some industrialized factory farms, they’re locked in cages so small they can barely move. Independent animal welfare experts agree that this causes physical and mental suffering.
Improves food safety
This measure will eliminate unsafe products from the California marketplace. Cramming tens of thousands of animals into tiny cages promotes the spread of disease. That’s why the Center for Food Safety endorses the measure. Numerous studies show that Salmonella-the leading cause of food poisoning-related death in America-is more common in cage facilities than cage-free farms.
Protects the environment
This measure would protect rivers, air, and public health. Factory farms that confine farm animals in cages produce enormous amounts of concentrated waste that’s often contaminated with antibiotic residue and other dangerous chemicals. Factory farms are a leading cause of air and water pollution.
URBAN CARRIAGE HORSES
In many cities, horse-drawn carriages are seen as tourist attractions, evoking nostalgic images of days gone by. Yet, underlying these quaint notions is the reality for the horses: daily exposure to noise and pollution, heavy traffic, hard pavement, long work days, constant heavy loads, and lack of access to pasture. All of these are directly detrimental to horses’ welfare.
The Issues
Hooves: Proper care of a horse’s hooves is critical to horses’ overall health. Long hours pounding on hard roadway surfaces can damage hooves, even when they are properly shod, causing pain with every step. In most urban settings, horses have no regular access to pasture for the majority of the year. Carriage horses in New York City only spend a single five-week period every year away from pavement, not enough to adequately maintain hoof health.
Pollution
Carriage horses, particularly in heavily congested urban settings such as New York City and Chicago, spend much of their day breathing exhaust fumes from cars directly in front of them. Horses also spend hours walking through a miasma of oil, road salt, and other roadway pollutants.
Noise
In urban settings, carriage horses are exposed to near constant, high levels of noise—up to 100 times louder than a typical conversation. Every year in New York City, there are multiple accidents involving carriage horses that have been startled by sudden noises.
Weather
Carriage horses are exposed to a wide range of temperatures and humidity levels. In New York City, the regulations allow for their use pulling carriages whenever the temperature is between 18 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (in Chicago, the minimum allowable temperature is 15° F). There are no regulations regarding humidity.
The Solution
Urban carriage horses are purely a tourist attraction—not a necessity. Given the many documented health and welfare issues for the horses, the only sensible solution is to ban them from use. Legislation has recently been introduced in New York City to end horse-drawn carriage rides as of June 2016 (New York City Council: Int 0573-2014). This legislation provides job training for the approximately 300 carriage drivers who would be affected by the ban and would also require proof that the carriage horses would not be killed after they are retired. The legislation is currently being reviewed in committee, with an uncertain future.
The Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act, H.R. 1243
Protect animals from military training cruelties
Despite the availability of human-based simulators, the U.S. Armed Forces continue to use live goats and pigs to train military personnel to respond to combat trauma injuries. These outdated practices are unnecessary and cause thousands of animals to suffer unimaginable cruelties each year.
The Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act, H.R. 1243 introduced by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) and S. 498 introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), would require the use of human-based training methods and phase out the use of animals in military trauma training.
Advancements in simulator technology allow trainees to practice complex medical operations using more sophisticated techniques. The result would protect countless animals, provide a more relevant learning experience and be a more efficient use of taxpayer money.
Take action
Calling is one of the most effective actions you can take. Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative and Senators to urge support for the BEST Practices Act, H.R. 1243/S.498 Look up your legislators' phone numbers. You can simply say, "As your constituent, I urge you to cosponsor the BEST Practices Act, H.R. 1243/S. 498, and do all you can to get it enacted. This bill will protect animals from military training cruelties and provide military medics with the most relevant and efficient training possible.
Massachusetts, help protect farm animals from cruelty
Certain lawmakers who opposed the Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals are now pushing to establish a deceptive livestock board.
H.441 would create a politically unaccountable board that could put agribusiness interests over the safety and protection of animals in Massachusetts. Livestock board proposals have been rejected by state legislatures across the country and repeatedly by Massachusetts lawmakers. With only two of 13 seats allotted to animal welfare organizations, the board would not ensure the humane treatment of farm animals. The public hearing for H.441 was on September 12, 2017, but farm animals still need your voice to ensure this dangerous bill is stopped.
Take action
Calling is the one of the most effective actions you can take. Look up your state legislators and check to see if either are members of the committee considering H.441. Then, please make a brief, polite phone call to your state representative and state senator urging opposition of H.441.
If they are on the committee, you can simply say, "As your constituent, I urge you to oppose H.441, the livestock board bill, which would create an unbalanced and unaccountable board that could undo established protections for farm animals and impede future protections for Massachusetts' farm animals."
If they are not on the committee, you can simply say, “As your constituent, I ask you to urge your colleagues on the Environment Committee to oppose H.441, the livestock board bill, which would create an unbalanced and unaccountable board that could undo established protections for farm animals and impede future protections.”
Federal legislation to prohibit slaughter of American horses, end export of horses
Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to prevent the establishment of inhumane horse slaughter operations within the U.S., end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad and protect the public from consuming toxic horse meat.
Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, introduced The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, S. 1706. The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Legislative Fund strongly support the legislation, and the House companion bill, H.R. 113, already has 150 or so co-sponsors.
“Americans don’t round up dogs and cats for slaughter and ship the parts of the animals to foreign countries. We shouldn’t do that with horses either,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “We commend Senators Menendez, Graham, Whitehouse and Collins for introducing this critical legislation to end horse slaughter once and for all.”
Each year, kill buyers gather up and send over 100,000 American horses to slaughter for foreign consumers. Horse slaughter is inherently inhumane, forcing horses to endure long journeys to slaughter plants without adequate food, water or rest. Due to the biology and nature of horses, these animals often sustain repeated blows or remain conscious during the kill process. In addition, the horse slaughter industry is a predatory enterprise. Buyers don’t “euthanize” old horses — they buy up young, healthy horses, often by misrepresenting their intentions, and inhumanely kill them to sell the meat to Europe and Japan.
The SAFE Act will prevent horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S., and it would prevent the shipment of live horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter for human consumption.