• Featured,
  • Politics

    • House Panel Considers Ban on Killing Dogs and Cats for Meals

    By on April 18, 2018
    In this picture taken on November 28, 2017, a dog looks out from a cage at a dog farm during a rescue event, involving the closure of the farm organised by the Humane Society International (HSI) in Namyangju on the outskirts of Seoul. The tradition of consuming dog meat has declined as the nation increasingly embraces the idea of dogs as pets instead of livestock, with eating them now something of a taboo among young South Koreans. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je / TO GO WITH SKorea-agriculture-food-dog, FEATURE by Jung Ha-Won (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)
    By

    Alan Bjerga

    Making a meal out of a dog or a cat may soon land you in jail.

    An amendment being considered Wednesday by the House Agriculture Committee would change the Animal Welfare Act to bar people from “knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption,” as well as transporting or participating in other commercial activity related to eating pet meat.
    Dog and cat slaughter is extremely rare in the U.S. and already prohibited in commercial slaughterhouses. But consumption of animals commonly considered as pets and companions in American culture still takes place among some immigrant groups. Only a handful of states, including New York, New Jersey and California, ban such small-scale butchering.
    Violators would be subject to up to a year of imprisonment, a fine, or both. The proposal would be part of a reauthorization of all U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
    Organizations including the Humane Society of the United States have been crusading against dog-and-cat slaughter worldwide, with acting President Kitty Block calling the farm bill an “ideal vehicle” for advancing the ban. The amendment by Republican Representative Jeff Denham of California is similar to a bill introduced by Democratic Representative Alcee Hastings of Florida that has 239 co-sponsors.
    Source: Bloomberg

    more recommended stories

    %d bloggers like this: