Current Press Releases

Members of Congress Hold Historic Hearing on Farm Animal Welfare

Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus and Leading Experts Focus on the Inhumane Treatment of Animals Used in Agriculture and the Need for Reform

Washington, D.C. - June 29, 2006 - Today, Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal shelter and advocacy organization, will speak at an historic hearing to discuss the current living conditions that farm animals endure on factory farms throughout the U.S. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Tom Lantos (D-CA), co-chairs of the Friends of Animals Caucus, have arranged for a discussion of the need for federal legislation to protect animals raised for food in the U.S., and to advocate for passage of the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 5557), which would require that those supplying food to the federal government meet basic standards for farm animal welfare.

Billions of farm animals are raised for food every year in the United States, but there are currently no federal laws to ensure their humane treatment. This legal deficiency has helped perpetuate the terrible abuses inflicted by the factory farming industry in this country, wherein animals are treated like production units with little regard for their welfare. This Congressional briefing will address the concerns of most Americans who support passing laws for humane treatment of farm animals.

"As industrialized animal agriculture has spread across the U.S., a growing number of citizens are voicing concerns about institutionalized cruelty to farm animals," stated Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary. "This hearing is a positive step toward creating a long-needed public discussion about the ethical treatment of farm animals, and to discuss the need for reforms."

Specific issues to be addressed during this hearing include the plight of:

• egg-laying hens, kept in "battery cages," which prevent the birds from even spreading their wings
• calves raised for veal, tethered inside crates for their entire lives that are so small the animals can not turn around
• breeding pigs confined to metal, two-foot wide "gestation crates" for the duration of their four month pregnancies where they can not turn around
• ducks force-fed unnatural amounts of food through pipes thrust down their throats until their livers expand to 10 times their normal size and become diseased for the purpose of creating an expensive appetizer, called "foie gras"

The hearing will be begin today at 1:30 pm in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2203, and is open to the public.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.