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The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: 202-720-3631
Fax: 202-720-2166
Email: agsec@usda.gov
Please add your voice to those urging U.S. Department of Agriculture
Secretary Ann Veneman to ensure enforcement of federal cockfighting
laws, and to publicly endorse the Ensign-Allard-Cantwell (Senate)
and Bartlett-Andrews (House) legislation to increase federal penalties
for cockfighting. Below is the letter sent by United Poultry Concerns
(3/10/2003) to Secretary Veneman including an outline of the issues.
March 10, 2003
The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Veneman:
To strengthen Article 26 of the Animal Welfare Act, a provision
was added to the 2002 Farm Bill that makes it illegal to move, import
or export birds intended for cockfighting as of May 2003. To strengthen
this provision even more, Senators John Ensign, Wayne Allard, and
Maria Cantwell, and Representatives Rob Andrews and Roscoe Bartlett
are introducing legislation to impose felony-level penalties for
violations of the law including a ban on interstate movement of
cockfighting implements. Please endorse this legislation.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose cockfighting and want the laws
against cockfighting to be enforced. Cockfighting violates the laws
of 48 states, in 28 of which states it is a felony, and facilitates
a variety
of criminal activities. It promotes disease among birds and is currently
costing taxpayers millions of dollars in the form of Exotic Newcastle
Disease (END), which has been traced to cockfighting operations
in California. It is estimated that it will cost as much as $500
million merely to contain this disease that will never go away but
more likely evolve into ever more virulent, resistant strains as
long as
cockfighting, which involves the continual movement of birds across
state lines and U.S. borders, continues.
It is our understanding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture
has never properly enforced the interstate prohibitions of Article
26 that have been in place since 1976. According to The Humane Society
of the United States, alerts to the USDA concerning illegal cockfighting
operations have not led to departmental enforcement. In addition,
we understand that the USDA is reimbursing game fowl breeders under
the END eradication program in tax-dollar amounts up to $1,000 and
$1,500 per bird. Please advise us regarding your policy of reimbursement
to game fowl breeders under the END eradication program.
If such compensations be the case, we urge the USDA to stop reimbursing
cockfighters with our taxes and instead use these taxes to enforce
Article 26 of the Animal Welfare Act which prohibits the interstate
transport of birds intended for cockfighting. We urge you to endorse
the Ensign-Allard-Cantwell and Bartlett-Andrews legislation that
will elevate the interstate commerce in birds intended for cockfighting
to a felony offence.
Funds that are being used to eradicate a disease believed to have
originated in cockfighting operations in California and Mexico should
be dedicated to a vigorous federal program to eradicate cockfighting
in the United States and uphold federal and state laws prohibiting
cockfighting and its facilitation.
It is a betrayal if, instead of aggressively attacking the illegal
activity of cockfighting, the USDA is pursuing a policy that legitimizes
and encourages cockfighting not only by ignoring it but by paying
cockfighters to destroy their flocks and introduce a constant supply
of new birds in violation of Article 26 of the Animal Welfare Act
which makes this commerce a crime.
I respectfully request an informative response from you at your
earliest convenience.
Thank you for your prompt and serious attention to our concerns.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes
the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. http://www.upc-online.org
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
757-678-7875
FAX: 757-678-5070
www.upc-online.org |
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