Farm Bill clears Congress; House votes to protect pets from domestic violence, outlaw dog meat and prevent animal fighting in U.S. territories

The U.S. House has presently passed the Farm Bill, and we’re celebrating big wins concerning animals.

Most importantly, the bill does not include the reckless King amendment, which could become nullified land and local laws that address, between other issues, prohibiting horse slaughter toward food, the extreme confinement of land animals, cheat finning and puppy mills.

The bill does receive important animal protection provisions that we worked hard to enact. It halts domestic slaughter, trade plus import/export of dogs and cats for personal consumption, preventing this trade from ever getting a hold here and giving our country exceptional standing to end it worldwide. It extends federal domestic injury protections to include pets at risk and approves grants to support local violence shelters accommodate pets or arrange to the pet shelter.

Finally, it makes clear that federal prohibitions on dogfighting and cockfighting activity apply consistently across all U.S. jurisdictions, including the U.S. territories and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where cockfighting has long been popular and openly displayed in large arenas.

The Senate voted to pass the Farm Bill 87 to 13 yesterday, but the battle was more robust in the House, making today’s actions more significant. In the end, the bill passed the House overwhelmingly by a vote of 369 to 47. It now heads to the president’s desk for his signature, and we urge him to sign it into law swiftly.

Kudos to our colleagues at the Humane Society Legislative Fund who have been working for years to fight the King amendment and secure the specific gains that included in the bill. That amendment from Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, if added, would have undermined the work that states and localities do to protect their citizens by legislating in a broad range of policy areas, including food protection, baby labor, opioids, pesticide exposure, fire-safe smokes, fertilizer management and handling of infected livestock. It was a victory for HSUS staff who have worked for hand in hand to build broad opposition to King’s egregious overreach that jeopardized so many of our state and local accomplishments.

victory for our work to end animal cruelty in all its forms, including dogfighting and cockfighting, and for our Humane Society International staff who are working to end dog and cat meat consumption around the world.

Personally heartens me because I have spent a lot of time and energy to support our dog meat campaign, which has won worldwide attention and put Humane Society International at the center of efforts to stop the trade. And while some states already outlaw the dog and cat meat trade, a federal ban clarifies our country’s moral stand, helping our efforts to make a strong case when we press for reform in countries like China, South Korea and other countries where dog and cat meat still being eaten.

Finally, the Farm Bill acknowledges the case we have been making for a long while, that the nation should extend federal domestic violence protections to include pets, who are frequently among its victims.

We clap members of Congress who worked to get these pro-animal measures inside the bill, and saw them through to success, as well as to guarantee the King amendment that jettisoned. And we are thankful, as always, to all of you who called in and wrote to your federal lawmakers, requesting them to vote for this bill.

Let’s celebrate this remarkable win for animals today.