Current Press Releases

Massachusetts Bill Takes Aim at Factory Farming Abuse

BOSTON (June 2, 2009)—At a hearing tomorrow, Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary and MSPCA representatives will urge the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture to pass an important bill aimed at preventing cruelty to farm animals.

The hearing will be held in the State House tomorrow, June 3, at 1:00pm in Room A-2.

The bill, HB 815—authored by Rep. Pam Richardson (6th Middlesex)—simply requires certain farm animals to have enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around and extend their limbs. It would prevent three of the most notorious factory farm abuses: veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs. These cruel and inhumane cages are so tiny, the animals barely have enough room to move.

Rep. Richardson stated, “This common-sense bill prevents animal cruelty, as well as protects our state from massive factory farms that pollute our environment and push family farmers out of business.”

“The Humane Society of the United States commends Rep. Richardson for introducing this bill to prevent cruel and inhumane confinement of farm animals,” stated Paul Shapiro, senior director of The HSUS’ factory farming campaign. “It’s simply wrong to confine animals in tiny cages barely larger than their bodies.”

“Farm animals should not be confined in tiny cages where they’re virtually immobilized for their whole lives,” said Delcianna Winders, director of legal campaigns for Farm Sanctuary. “We urge the committee to pass this modest reform.”

Last month, Maine became the sixth U.S. state to ban tiny crates for animals on factory farms. And in a landslide November vote, Californians approved the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, making it a criminal offense (with a phase-out) to confine pigs in gestation crates, calves in veal crates and egg-laying hens in battery cages.  

Facts

• The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act was approved by a landslide 63.5 percent of California voters. More than 8.2 million Californians voted to enact Prop 2, making it the state’s most popular citizen initiative ever—in the country’s top ag state, no less. Other states have passed similar reforms, including Maine, Colorado, Florida, Arizona and Oregon.
  
• Across the country, restaurants, producers, and retailers—including Safeway, Burger King, Wendy’s,  Carl’s Jr. and Hardees, Wolfgang Puck and Smithfield Foods—are increasingly moving away from supporting cages and crates on factory farms.