WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Farm Sanctuary, North America’s largest and most effective farm animal rescue and protection organization, applauds Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and state lawmakers for enacting S.2191/H.7180, legislation that prohibits the extreme confinement of breeding pigs and veal calves in small crates, and S.2192, legislation that prohibits the unnecessary and inhumane practice of cattle tail docking. Tail docking involves the partial amputation—typically without pain killers—of up to two-thirds of a cow’s tail.
The bills, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) and Rep. Patricia Serpa (D – Dist. 27, Coventry, Warwick, West Warwick), passed the Senate and House with overwhelming support and the governor has signed them into law. This makes Rhode Island the ninth state to ban gestation crates for breeding pigs, the seventh to ban veal crates for calves, and the third to ban cattle tail docking.
“Rhode Island’s decision is further evidence that these cruel systems have no future. Cramming animals into crates so small that they can’t even turn around is horribly abusive,” said Bruce Friedrich, senior director for strategic initiatives at Farm Sanctuary. “These systems have no place in a just society.”
In the pork industry, the vast majority of mother pigs are confined day and night during their four-month pregnancy in gestation crates, cages roughly the same size as the animals’ bodies. They are then placed into another crate to give birth, are re-impregnated, and put back into a gestation crate. This happens pregnancy after pregnancy for their entire lives, adding up to years of virtual immobilization.
Many calves raised for veal suffer nearly their entire lives inside individual crates. Like gestation crates, veal crates are so small the animals are unable to even turn around. These calves are often tethered by their necks for most of their four- to five-month lives.
“Gestation crates and veal crates are unnecessarily cruel and have no place in the Ocean State,” said Rep. Serpa. “It’s inhumane and inconsistent with how Rhode islanders feel about animals.”
“Cruelties such as locking animals in tiny cages for their whole lives and cutting their tails off without painkiller aren’t acceptable to Rhode Islanders, and we’re proud to have taken action to prevent them,” said Majority Leader Ruggerio.
Scientific studies show that tail docking causes distress, pain and increased fly attacks, and that it offers no benefit to the animal. The American Veterinary Medical Association and numerous dairy industry representatives oppose routine tail docking of dairy cows and major dairy states like Ohio and California have taken regulatory action against the practice.
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