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Politics

Vern Buchanan, Alcee Hastings Continue the Fight to Ban the Cat and Dog Meat Trade

August 7, 2018 - 6:00am
Vern Buchanan and Alcee Hastings
Vern Buchanan and Alcee Hastings

Two congressmen from Florida--Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan and Democrat U.S. Rep Alcee Hastings--are calling on Congress to include their proposal to band the slaughter of cats and dogs for human consumption as part of the Farm Bill. 

Back in March 2017, Buchanan and Hastings unveiled the “Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act," a proposal banning the slaughter of cats and dogs for human consumption. Currently, 44 states do not have those type of laws in place. 

Last November , the resolution moved through the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. . A majority of the Florida delegation is backing the resolution with Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Matt Gaetz and Bill Posey and Democrats U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, Charlie Crist, Val Demings, Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Al Lawson, Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson serving as co-sponsors. 

Last week, joined by U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Mich., and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Penn., Buchanan and Hastings wrote the chairs of the congressional Agriculture Committees--U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and U.S. Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas--on the matter. They also wrote the ranking Democrats on the committees--U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and U.S. Rep. Colin Peterson, D-Minn. 

“As you prepare to go to conference on H.R.2/S.3042, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, we would like to thank you for including language on the prohibition of the dog and cat meat trade in both versions of the bill. We write to urge you to retain this language in conference. As you may know, we introduced H.R.1406, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 on March 7, 2017. Since its introduction, H.R.1406 has garnered the bipartisan support of 245 co-sponsors,” they wrote. 

“While the slaughter of dogs and cats for consumption is not commonplace in the United States, it is not explicitly prohibited in federal law,” the congressmen added. “Unbelievably, it is still legal to slaughter dogs and cats for the purpose of human consumption in 44 states across the country. This important legislation will prohibit the slaughter and trade of dogs and cats for human consumption, and provide penalties to ensure that individuals involved in the dog or cat meat trade are held accountable.

“Dogs and cats play a vital role in the collective experience of Americans and deserve protection and compassion. In the United States, dogs and cats are owned for companionship, recreation, show, and sport, not for human consumption. It is long overdue that we explicitly ban the killing and consumption of these animals,” they wrote in conclusion. “We thank you again for including this language of the ban on the dog and cat meat trade, and strongly urge you to retain this language in the final version of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Thank you very much for your time and attention to our request.  We stand ready to do all that we can to assist.”

The issue is not a new one for either of the two congressmen from the Sunshine State who are the co-chairs of the Florida delegation. Hastings has been leading the charge on Capitol Hill in condemning the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China where 10,000 dogs are slaughtered each year for human consumption. Buchanan has also garnered national attention for his work on animal issues. The Humane Society of the United States named Buchanan as its legislator of the year in 2016, the first time a member of the Florida delegation has received the honor. Buchanan received a 100 score from the Humane Society and fought for some of the group’s top priorities. In 2016, Buchanan brought out the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act which bans exporting horses to Mexican slaughterhouses. Buchanan has also led the charge on Capitol Hill to stop domestic slaughterhouses from creating horse meat for human consumption. 

Comments

I cannot believe in the 21st century these countries are being aloud to torture dogs and cats so barbaricly and horrificly to eat them or for there skin this is sickening these are countries that have no respect for there own even abandoning there own children on the streets or if they have died just leaving them in a side of a road and I've herd of there cannibalism to they have no morals and they need to be stopped with there cruelty to animals just some of the sick barbaric things they do ripping apart cat or dog alive skinning them alive cooking them in boiling water or oil alive and in a wok or blowtorcheing them alive and there is plenty more these evil monsters do its time for change they need our voice and they need to be stopped now

I suggest anyone that disagrees with the FACT that in China they Torture,Abuse Skin and boil Cats and Dogs alive then either do your homework or visit during Yulin then tell us you disagree.

Thank goodness for these politicians without them, we really would be on par with many asian countries who regularly devour all companions like Rover.

You gotta be kiddin' me that this is even a 'thing'!!! And, a certain class of morons amongst us rail against "too much regulation"? Time for some 'mega-regulation'!

IT IS COMMON IN CHINA FOR PEOPLE TO EAT CATS AND DOGS, THEY DO EVEN EAT ABORTED HUMAN FETUSES AND SELL THEM IN JARS IN THEIR STORES. WE NEED AND MAKE IT MANDATORY TO MONITOR EVERY MICROSCOPIC DETAIL OF OUR ENTIRE AGRICULTURAL AND IMPORT WAY OF LIFE, AS SOME OF OUR PROCESSING OF MEAT THAT IS DONE IN CHINA MAY EVEN INCLUDE RAT MEAT. THE CHINESE FOOD AND RESTAURANTS IN AMERICA ARE NOT ORIGINALLY CHINESE, THEY ARE AMERICAN CREATIONS DONE BY CHINESE, AS THEY KNOW WE WOULD NOT EAT THEIR ORIGINAL MENUS. MOST OF YOU CAN DO SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THIS AND FIND IT TO BE TRUE. IN CHINA THEY USE CAT, SNAKE, AND BEEF COMBINED FOR THEIR GROUND MEAT. MAY I STRESS THAT WE CAN NOT BE TOO CAREFUL AND WE JUST MAY HAVE TO BE MORE THAN JUST TOO CAREFUL. AS WE ARE NOW APPROACHING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, WE MUST AND MANDATE TO WATCH OUR BACKS FROM EVERY CORNER AND FROM EVERY ANGLE AND LEAVE NONE TO EXCEPTION. THEY ARE TRYING TO DESTROY OUR STANDARDS AND TURN US INTO A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY IF NOT A FOURTH WORLD COUNTRY AT BEST. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!

I absolutely agree with you. China is becoming an Unstoppable Force again they are merciless evil barbaric monsters waiting to get their Revenge back on everyone I keep saying and I will keep saying they are Machiavellians, slipping under the radar every tucking where sooner or later closing in on us.

These two corrupt morons are "Florida's political joke"!!! YOU CAN DO BETTER IN YOUR "VOTING BOOTHS" FLORIDA !!!!!

These men are people who are implementing food chain protections and preventing abuse and cruelty. Dogs and cats are skinned and Boiled alive so they are preventing them from being sold to other countries or done right here in the US. It's also common to Stop animals from the food chain which have dangerous drugs in them including Rabies Vaccines which can kill humans via consumption of the animal. We are Not a 3rd World Country and People come here for a better life and that means banning horse, dog and cat meat to Protect us all.

How nice. Yet, Vern has voted against any measure that supports human life. Why?

For some people avoidance of an issue shows they do not understand the conversation. They are Protecting the food chain and animals which in turn protects your children and grandchildren. So whether you appreciate a voting record or not on other issues this issue protects children via banning it entirely.

OMG these saps found a place below the bottom of the barrel to scrape in search of relevancy. Humans eating cats and dogs is not common as stated in the article. Shut up and build the wall.

I assumed you have done all your Research and even know what HR 1406 stands for. Until you know the sad facts I suggest you do not say anything to be made the fool. Have you seen the slaughtered cats and dogs in the freezer in New York or penn ? Have you been to congress to lobby for these bills, these bills that will not only protect our food but protect our pets from being stolen and boiled alive or skinned alive electrocuted and worse. Research. If you can stomach what you see in the Dog and cat meat trade .

Sadly your ignorant to the fact that these animals are cruelly collected, warehoused, shipped overseas and killed. The laws are to Stop them from every step in the brutal trade. Dogs are blackmarkets from America to sell overseas constantly. Blackmarkets are busted especially in Florida killing animals brutally illegally. Research off the internet will often produce the facts.

Comments are now closed.

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