USA: Urge Congress to Protect Animals in the Farm Bill

U.S. Farm Bill

ASPCA Position: Support Pro-Animal Provisions

Congress is working on the long-delayed Farm Bill, a huge piece of legislation that identifies national agricultural priorities and reaffirms the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), impacting farm animals, companion animals and horses. This bill also dictates how our food and farm systems operate and how funding is allocated, which means that it has the potential to improve or worsen the lives of animals, people and the environment.

Congress can choose to include language from pending federal bills into the Farm Bill — this is where we need your help. To build a better world for animals, there is one critical bill Congress must include and two terrible provisions we’re fighting to keep out of the Farm Bill. Learn more about each bill and take action below!

✔️SAFE Act — Bans the Slaughter of America’s Horses

Every year that passes without a federal ban on horse slaughter dooms tens of thousands of equines — work partners, athletes, trusted friends — to unnecessary and inhumane deaths. Approximately 20,000 American horses went over our borders last year to be slaughtered for human consumption around the world.

The SAFE Act would simply add equines to an existing, uncontroversial law banning the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat. Nothing could be easier or make more sense: Americans overwhelmingly oppose horse slaughter, and it is way past time to give them the same protection we give our cat and dog friends. Passing the SAFE Act through the Farm Bill will give at-risk horses a chance to find loving homes and humane care.

❌Provisions that Overturn State Bans on Animal Confinement

California and 15 other states have bans on cruel farming practices, including gestation crates for pigs, battery cages for egg-laying hens and veal crates for calves. These state-level animal confinement bans are popular, effective, commonsense laws that protect animals, independent farmers and consumers.

The Save Our Bacon Act (H.R. 4673) and the Food Security and Farm Protection Act (S. 1326), which are rebranded versions of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, would eliminate state and local animal welfare laws and prevent states from passing new ones. This would harm animals, violate states’ rights and disadvantage farmers who have already invested in more humane animal housing systems. The 2024 House Farm Bill included language based on the EATS Act — help us keep this dangerous provision and anything like it out of any future Farm Bill.

❌Provisions that Make it Harder to Aid Dogs in Puppy Mills

At any given time, a quarter of a million dogs are languishing in cruel USDA-licensed puppy mills, because the agency is systematically failing to uphold its responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Even in well-documented instances of severe injury and illness, dogs in urgent need of care are often left in neglectful situations.

The 2024 House Farm Bill included language that would worsen this by weakening AWA enforcement provisions that authorize the USDA to aid suffering animals. Help us keep this dangerous provision, which would make it harder to help suffering dogs, out of the final Farm Bill.

What You Can Do

Please use the form below to send a pre-drafted message to your members of Congress, urging them to pass a Farm Bill that reforms our farming system and reflects Americans’ concern and compassion for billions of animals.

Advocacy Alert

Your Message

Subject The Farm Bill Must Address Critical Animal Welfare Needs

Dear Lawmaker,

Message

As your constituent and someone who cares about the welfare of animals, I am eager for a Farm Bill that will increase protections for billions of vulnerable animals and prevent mass suffering.

The Farm Bill gives Congress the rare chance to improve farm animal welfare and help our nation transition to a more humane food system. It also presents an opportunity to finally end the inhumane practice of slaughtering American horses for human consumption and better protect hundreds of thousands of dogs trapped in cruel puppy mills from inhumane treatment.

I urge you to:

- Oppose inclusion of any version of the Save Our Bacon Act (H.R. 4673) or the Food Security and Farm Protection Act (S. 1326), which are rebranded versions of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act. State animal confinement bans are popular, effective, commonsense laws that protect animals, independent farmers and consumers. The EATS Act--and its various versions--would eliminate these state and local animal welfare laws and prevent the states from passing new ones. This would harm animals, disadvantage farmers who have already made the investment to more humane animal housing systems and violate states rights.

- Ensure that the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, which enjoys significant bipartisan support, is included in the Farm Bill. The SAFE Act would permanently prohibit the cruel slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. and end their export for that same purpose abroad. This legislation is supported by 83% of Americans and is urgently needed to protect horses, their owners and the horse industry itself.

- Oppose inclusion of the “Confiscation for Unrelieved Suffering” provision from the 2025 House Farm Bill, which would weaken protections for commercially bred or raised dogs under the USDA’s care. Despite its deceptive title, this provision would not offer “enhancement of pet protections,” but would actually make it harder to aid dogs who are suffering and in urgent need of help. It is imperative that the Animal Welfare Act, which is designed to ensure humane care and treatment of animals in federally licensed facilities, is not weakened.

Animal protection is a major priority for me, and I urge you to take this opportunity to improve the welfare of billions of animals and help build a more humane food system.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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