U.S. Representatives Diane Watson and Elton Gallegly have introduced the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (H.R. 4733), an ASPCA-supported bill that would require the federal government to purchase animal products only from entities that do not keep animals cruelly confined in gestation crates, veal crates or battery cages. Factory farms in this country commonly house animals in cruel confinement systems. Veal calves are chained in small crates without enough room to turn around; sows are confined in gestation crates only a few inches wider and longer than the sows themselves; and egg-laying hens are jammed into tiny “battery” cages with less space, per bird, than the size of a regular 8.5″×11″ sheet of paper.
Whether or not it intends to, the federal government supports these cruel practices by spending over $1 billion per year on meat and eggs from animals who are raised in overcrowded cages and cramped crates. (This food is distributed to our military, federal prisons, school lunch programs, and many other government programs and services.)
Since almost all major packers and distributors do business with the federal government, passage of the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act would have a significant impact. It would dramatically improve living conditions for countless farm animals across America, and would put an end to the federal government’s economic support of this form of cruelty.
What You Can Do
Your U.S. representative needs to hear that this bill is important to you as a voter. Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to email your representative and urge him or her to support the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.
Thank you for taking action for animals!
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