PETITION TARGET: U.S. Senator John Boozman
Egg-laying hens are packed so tightly in battery cages that they can’t spread their wings; mother pigs in gestation crates can’t turn around; and male calves in veal crates can barely move.
These conditions rob animals of their most basic needs — freedom of movement, fresh air, the ability to express natural behaviors — and reduce living beings to nothing more than objects for profit.
Several states have voted to prohibit or restrict these cruel confinement practices, including California, where Proposition 12 not only banned these enclosures but also blocked the sale of eggs, pork, and veal from other states that don’t employ the same standards.
Now, that progress is under threat. New legislation, dubbed the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, could take away the ability of states and local governments to set regulations for how agricultural products will be produced in other states if sold across state lines.
If passed, this bill would require states like California to allow the sale of these lower-welfare animal products and undo years of hard-fought improvements. Beyond weakening farm animal protections, this legislation could also undermine laws that protect dogs from puppy mills, safeguard public health, and defend the environment.
This bill prioritizes corporate interests over ethics, threatening to reverse substantial animal welfare gains by forcing more innocent beings back into a system of extreme confinement and cruelty.
Sign our petition urging the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman to reject this legislation that would have devastating consequences for farmed animals.
