SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 26--CALLING FOR AN END TO THE CONSUMPTION AND TRADE OF DOG AND CAT MEAT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 156
(Senate - September 26, 2019)
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[Pages S5757-S5758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 26--CALLING FOR AN END TO THE CONSUMPTION
AND TRADE OF DOG AND CAT MEAT
Mr. MERKLEY submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Con. Res. 26
Whereas a bipartisan domestic prohibition on the
consumption or trade of dog and cat meat was included in
section 12515 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7
U.S.C. 2160), which was signed into law by the President on
December 20, 2018;
Whereas the consumption of dog meat has occurred throughout
the world, primarily in Asia;
Whereas established markets for dog meat still exist as of
September 2019;
Whereas Humane Society International, Animals Asia
Foundation, and others estimate that 30,000,000 dogs and
10,000,000 cats
[[Page S5758]]
die annually worldwide as a result of the dog and cat meat
trade;
Whereas, due to a traditional belief that high adrenaline
levels produce tender meat and increase supposed health
benefits, dogs killed for their meat may be intentionally
subjected to extreme fear and suffering through hanging and
bludgeoning;
Whereas there have been reports that dogs and cats farmed
for their meat experience abuse, poor living conditions, and
cruel slaughtering techniques;
Whereas, during transport to slaughterhouses, many dogs and
cats die or suffer illness or injury as a result of being
crammed into small cages on the back of vehicles for days or
weeks without food or water;
Whereas the extreme suffering of dogs and cats at
slaughterhouses and on transportation trucks would breach
anti-cruelty laws in the United States, such as--
(1) the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.); and
(2) Public Law 85-765 (commonly known as the ``Humane
Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958'') (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.);
Whereas many government officials, civil society advocates,
and activists are working to end the trade of dog and cat
meat on anti-cruelty and public health grounds, and the
governments of Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have passed
laws banning the slaughter of dogs for meat consumption;
Whereas the World Health Organization has linked the dog
meat industry to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and
rabies among humans;
Whereas the people involved in the dog meat industry are at
an increased health risk for zoonotic diseases, such as
rabies, which can transfer from dogs to humans through
infectious material such as saliva;
Whereas the spread of disease in the dog meat industry may
be exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions of slaughter and
the sale of dog meat at open-air markets and restaurants; and
Whereas the World Health Organization and the Global
Alliance for Rabies Control have acknowledged the link
between the spread of rabies and the dog meat trade, which
involves the movement of large numbers of dogs of unknown
disease status across vast distances: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress--
(1) calls for an end to the consumption and trade of dog
and cat meat on anti-cruelty and public health grounds;
(2) urges all nations with a dog or cat meat trade to adopt
and enforce laws banning the consumption and trade of dog and
cat meat; and
(3) affirms the commitment of the United States to
advancing the causes of animal protection and animal welfare
domestically and around the world.
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