Help Stop Widespread Abuse of Farmed Animals during Transport

Billions of animals are transported to slaughter each year in the United States, in a journey generally accompanied by the most severe welfare problems. Any animals experience considerable stress during transport, yet farmed animals are moved several times during their lives, often over large distances. Some animals are even transported across the border to be slaughtered in Mexico.

Cruel transport practices and the misery they cause are driven by economics and fueled by a lack of government oversight. Animals pay the price in pain and suffering to provide cheap meat to consumers and to increase meat industry profits.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service reveal that more than 250,000 pigs die each year as a result of transport. A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association estimated the average mortality rate for cattle entering feedlots is 12.6 deaths for every 1,000 animals. These numbers do not include the thousands of animals wounded or incapacitated in transport.

Even more shocking, there is effectively no federal regulation of farmed animal transportation in the United States. Although Congress has enacted more than 50 statutes regarding animal welfare, only 2 laws address the welfare of animals raised for food or food production — the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the 28-Hour Law. However, the 28-Hour Law is rarely, if ever, enforced. Even if the 28-Hour Law were enforced, it would still not be adequate to assure the well-being of transported animals as it allows animals to be transported without food, water, or rest for a full 28 hours.

Please join us in urging Congress to enact a law regulating the transport of farmed animals throughout the United States and across our borders.

Petition:

Our online petition limits the amount of signatures from one computer or network address (household or workplace). You may download the PDF version of this petition to collect even more signatures. And thank you for your continued interest in helping the animals!

Dear Congress:

I urge you to enact legislation to regulate the transportation via truck of animals used in food production. This legislation is needed to provide humane treatment of animals as well as disease control.

Although Congress has enacted more than 50 statutes related to animal welfare, only two laws address the welfare of animals raised for food or food production: the 28-Hour law and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. However, the Humane Slaughter Act does not regulate transport and the 28-Hour law is rarely, if ever, enforced. Even if the 28-Hour Law were enforced, it would still not be adequate to assure the well-being of transported animals as it allows animals to be transported without food, water, or rest for a full 28 hours.

Animals suffer terribly while transported in trucks. Problems that commonly occur during long-distance transport include deprivation of food and water, exposure to extreme heat or cold, overcrowding and injury, and lack of opportunity for rest. Given that hundreds of millions of animals are transported by truck annually, the scale of suffering is immense.

Stressed and injured animals are more likely to become infected with, spread, or succumb to disease. Long-distance transport across state and national borders and movement through auctions further increases the potential of serious disease outbreaks. New advancements in tracking systems can be used to enforce transport regulations, as well as provide expedient means of tracking animals exposed to or infected with diseases.

For the sake of animal welfare and human health, please enact legislation that establishes humane treatment standards for farmed animals transported in all types of vehicles and that lessens the animals' journey time.

Thank you for your consideration.

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