Agriculture Committee Kills 1st Offense Felony Proposal in Mississippi

When Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, of Mississippi, assigned SB 2600 to the Agriculture Committee, he might as well have pronounced it DOA. The Senate Bill, introduced by Senator Angela Hill, would have made a first offense act of aggravated cruelty to a dog or a cat a felony. The bill also called for Mississippi law enforcement agencies to report felony convictions for animal cruelty to the FBI. The FBI is the central crime center for carried crime statistics.

Farm Bureau is flexing its might in influencing laws across our nation. Farm Bureau's ridiculous clamor is that any law protecting animals will bleed into the areas of "animal husbandry." While we might wish this to be a true peril for factory farms and slaughter houses, it's absurd. Every statute or ordinance passed that protects animals from neglect and aggravated cruelty contains a clause for the exemption of all "accepted" uses of animals including experiments, veterinary practice, hunting, fishing, etc.

SB 2600 was expected to fail even if it made it through committee. The bright side is that through coalition building and animal advocates getting the word out about the issues facing animals in Mississippi, we may have a groundswell for success in 2018. Meanwhile, In Defense of Animals' Justice for Animals Campaign will work with like coalitions, groups, and individuals from the friend next door to farmers who can express their support for the bill to Farm Bureau, and continue to work with law enforcement, judges, and other officials with a voice.