Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act Introduced

In June, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act (HR 8699) to improve conditions for livestock transported across the United States. The bill would prohibit interstate transport of livestock who are unfit for travel—such as newborns with unhealed navels; cows in late-stage pregnancy or who recently gave birth; and animals who are blind, sick, injured, weak, or disabled. HR 8699 would also require federal officials to develop a process to enforce the Twenty-Eight Hour Law—the only federal law designed to protect livestock being moved across the country—which has gone largely unenforced for decades. AWI recently filed a rulemaking petition with the USDA requesting that it prohibit the interstate shipment of newborn calves and other animals who are sick, injured, or disabled. In the petition, AWI cited the results from its investigation last year, which found that dairy calves as young as 2 to 3 days old are routinely subjected to long, arduous journeys under harsh conditions.

Program Terms: Farmed Animals

AWI Quarterly Terms: Government/Legal, Quick Read