WASHINGTON—Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following statement on today’s congressional activities concerning the landmark animal protection law, California’s Proposition 12. A hearing was held by the House Agriculture Committee and a Republican-sponsored bill was introduced seeking to nullify these humane standards for farm animals.
“We are here because the pork industry has lost its argument again and again in court and now wants a federal legislative bailout. This effort, led largely by a backwards-facing segment of Big Pork and a few lawmakers, would erase the will of voters across the country and punish farmers who’ve already adapted to meet consumer demand for more humane products,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals. "Whether called the Food Security and Farm Protection Act or the Save Our Bacon Act, it's corporate special interests trying to get through Congress what they couldn't achieve in the courts or at the ballot box."
“Today’s hearing was like the film Groundhog Day, the same tired arguments popping up again. Congress already grappled with this issue through multiple Farm Bills by rejecting efforts like the King Amendment and the EATS Act. The courts and Congress have spoken,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane World Action Fund. “It’s factors like inflation and corporate consolidation that drive rising costs, not state humane farming laws. And California isn’t alone in having humane farming laws, as 14 other states such as Florida, Arizona and Ohio have similar laws on the books. It’s time to stop the repudiation of registered voters who care how that animal on their dinner plate was treated.”
A diverse coalition of more than 6,600 groups and individuals, including over 5,300 farms across the country and over 200 bipartisan Members of Congress, have publicly called for a stop on attacks on state and local agricultural laws. These diverse supporters of humane farming laws reflect the widely shared public view that animals raised for food should not be kept in cages or crates so tight they can’t turn around. Polling shows 80% of U.S. voters favor a law within their state like Proposition 12, with roughly equal support among Republicans and Democrats, and a vast majority agreeing that states should set standards and laws for goods sold in their state.