Note: Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mark Warner (D-VA) reintroduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act with five additional Republicans and five additional Democrats as original cosponsors. The measure, if enacted and enforced, would bring an end to routine abuses that have occurred over six decades — a curse for the sport … Read more
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mark Warner (D-VA) re-introduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which would amend the Horse Protection Act (HPA) of 1970 and finally end the practice of soring Tennessee Walking, Racking, and Spotted Saddle Horses that runs rampant throughout the Southeastern U.S. They were joined … Read more
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), joined by Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), re-introduced the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act to create a system of financial controls and transparency to reform USDA’s agricultural checkoff programs. Checkoff programs generate hundreds of millions a year, … Read more
Key committee conduct hearing on four major animal protection bills In 2017 and 2018, House Republican committee chairmen — such as Bob Goodlatte of Judiciary and Rob Bishop of Natural Resources — refused to conduct hearings on even a single animal welfare bill assigned to their committees. They were at best dismissive to animal protection, … Read more
USDA has been lax on enforcement, but these steps can help shield dogs from mistreatment Puppy mills have been an American curse, but this week, we are wagging our tails a bit at the thought of some federal reforms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just announced a proposed rule to address bad behavior from … Read more
Botswana is hurtling toward a dreadful and dangerous back-tracking on its national wildlife protection policy. The country’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, is considering the idea of repealing or weakening the southern African nation’s landmark and foresighted 2014 policy of forbidding the killing of wildlife, including by foreign trophy hunters. The country’s leaders, who are undoubtedly motivated … Read more
In an industry where there are still too many low-grade tracks that cause in-competition injuries or are the last stop for poor-performing horses on their way to slaughter plants in Mexico and Canada, California’s Santa Anita Track is held up as one of the best venues in the trade. It hosts the most highly rated … Read more
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Andy Barr (R-KY), who represent two of the meccas of American thoroughbred racing — Saratoga Springs and Lexington — introduced the Horseracing Integrity Act, H.R. 1754, to end the doping of American race horses and create a uniform national standard for drug testing that would … Read more
One Consent Decree Imposes a Three-Year Suspension on a Serial Violator of Federal Laws Against “Horse Soring” But Some Suspensions Doesn’t Take Effect until 2022 Washington, D.C. — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to coddle and tolerate serious violations of the Horse Protection Act (HPA), meting out token and virtually meaningless penalties … Read more
Subtle and straightforward efforts to thwart protections for wolves, Walking horses, and roostersThere has been unmistakable progress in the field of animal protection, especially in recent years. We’ve outlawed cockfighting and dogfighting and made it a felony at the federal level too. The veal industry no longer immobilizes male calves as a standard husbandry practice. … Read more