"The movement of these measures is an indicator of emerging public and congressional awareness and concern for farm animals and against animal fighting," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president for The HSUS.

Representatives Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Amory Houghton (R-NY) offered the Downed Animal Protection Act as an amendment to H.R. 2646. The amendment, which passed by a voice vote, mandates humane euthanasia for animals too weak from sickness or injury to stand or walk at stockyards, auctions, and other intermediate livestock markets. The legislation would prevent ill or injured animals from being sent to slaughter for human consumption, thereby reducing animal suffering and food safety risks. Currently, federal law allows so-called downed animals to be shipped to slaughter despite the need to use forklifts, tractors or even chains to move the animals to the kill floor.

"The downed animal bill has languished for years, but recent documentation of abuses in farming practices, in transportation and at the slaughterhouse, has revived concern for farm animal protection and illustrated the urgent need for a measure mandating the humane treatment of animals too ill or injured to walk or stand under their own power. In addition, emerging concerns about public health risks such as mad cow disease have brought this legislation to the fore."

"The Humane Society of the United States thanks Representatives Ackerman and Houghton for their leadership in protecting farm animals and American consumers," said Pacelle. They have long recognized that humane treatment of farm animals and food safety are two essential elements of national agricultural policy."

"It is inexcusable that downed animals are marketed for food, suffering intolerable cruelty at stockyards and threatening the safety of the food supply," states Gene Bauston, executive director of Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection organization that has helped to lead the fight for passage of the Downed Animal Protection Act. "Leading fast food chains and the federal school lunch program reject meat from downed animals because of animal abuse and concerns about food safety. The time has come for the suffering of these animals to end."

Earlier this year, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) criticized mistreatment of farm animals and added $3.5 million for increased enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act. Byrd's move came after Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) introduced a resolution calling for increased enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act, which was adopted by the Senate on July 31st. The House passed the resolution yesterday, when it was offered as an amendment to the Farm Bill by Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD).

The House also passed two amendments yesterday dealing with animal fighting. Both were offered by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Tom Tancredo (R-CO). One amendment mirrors the language of H.R. 1155, introduced by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN). This amendment closes a loophole that permits interstate shipments of birds to the three states where cockfighting remains legal (Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico). This loophole undermines enforcement of state bans against cockfighting because cockfighters claim that they are possessing birds for shipment to these three states, while actually they intend to stage illegal cockfights within their own states.

The other amendment bans any exports of fighting birds or dogs and increases penalties for any violation of the anti-animal fighting section of the Animal Welfare Act to two years in prison and a $15,000 fine from one year and a $5,000 fine.

Rachel Querry: (301) 258-8255