U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said on Thursday that he is going to co-sponsor "The Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors (AWARE) Act which would ensure the U.S. Department of Agriculture improves the treatment of animals in federal facilities. The bills chief sponsor is U.S. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., who, with Buchanan, co-chairs the Congressional Bicycle Caucus.
The bill closes a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 which did not bring farm animals under federal protection from cruel treatment.
Buchanan explained his support for the measure on Thursday:Torturing animals is abhorrent and must not be allowed to continue because of a legal technicality. This sickening enterprise must end.
Buchanan, the only member of the Florida delegation to sit on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, noted a recent New York Times article concerning a federal facility in Nebraska where animals have been abused and, over the last 30 years, more than 6,500 animals have been killed. Buchanan pointed toward pigs being abused by being locked in steamed chambers until they died at the Nebraska facility as one reason the bill was needed.
So far, the bill has not generated a sponsor or a companion measure in the U.S. Senate, though congressional sources told Sunshine State News that it was in the works. The bill has won the backing of both Wayne Pacelle, the president and CEO of the U.S. Humane Society, and Matthew Bershadker, the president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Buchanan was honored at the end of January by the U.S. Humane Society for his record on animal welfare issues, including cracking down on horse slaughter and animal fighting and backing the Endangered Species Act.
"We are tremendously grateful to Congressman Buchanan for his work to celebrate the human-animal bond, and to stop abuses such as animal fighting, shark finning, horse slaughter, and inhumane factory farming practices," said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Congressman Buchanan has been at the forefront of federal policies to prevent animal cruelty and protect natural resources."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
