Billions of Animals EXCLUDED from Animal Welfare Act!
Billions of Animals EXCLUDED from Animal Welfare Act!
Over nine billion farmed animals (with this number not even including farmed aquatic animals) are killed for consumption in the United States every year, yet shockingly, they are completely excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. It is shameful that there is not a single law in place to protect animals while they are bred and raised to be eaten.
Pigs, fish, sheep, cows, chickens and other farmed animals are routinely subjected to painful and barbaric living conditions and procedures including cutting off testicles, tails, horns, beaks, and toes without anesthesia or pain management. Male chicks are tossed onto huge conveyor belts to be ground alive because they can’t produce eggs. Farmed animals face inhumane conditions that make every day a living hell. Geese are force-fed until their organs fail, chickens are routinely starved to artificially restart their egg-laying cycle, and fish can be exposed to light 24 hours a day to speed up their growth rate. Animals are confined in spaces so small they can’t turn around, stretch their limbs, extend their wings, or lie down comfortably.
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was established in 1966 to set minimum standards for animal care and guard against abuse. However, the AWA is woefully inadequate when it comes to addressing general animal welfare in the United States. Large groups of animals, such as farmed animals,and many small animals used in laboratories are completely excluded from these bare minimum protections.