Witnesses from the AVMA and other organizations testify about current concerns
A subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture held a wide-ranging hearing in May to review the welfare of animals in agriculture.Several veterinarians were among a dozen witnesses who testified before the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry about improving the welfare of farm animals while protecting the food supply, consumer choice, and biomedical research.
The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Leonard L. Boswell of Iowa, noted in his opening remarks that restaurants are requiring suppliers to meet certain animal welfare standards, and consumers are paying more for products such as cage-free eggs. He said these voluntary changes might or might not be sufficient to fix the problems that some people perceive to exist in animal agriculture.
The ranking minority member, Rep. Robin Hayes of North Carolina, responded that animal agriculture has made great strides in addressing welfare. He then questioned the timing of the hearing because he does not believe that the Farm Bill should include animal welfare.
The hearing also pertained to other pending federal legislation, particularly a ban on slaughtering horses for human consumption and legislation to prevent nonambulatory animals from entering the food supply.
Emotions ran high during opening testimony and question-and-answer periods. Congressional representatives grilled those witnesses advocating for legislative changes about extremist tactics, vegetarianism, and movements against keeping animals at all.
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