Four House lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban the slaughter of dogs and cats in the United States for human consumption.
Rep. Alcee Hastings, the lead sponsor of the bill, said it’s still legal in many parts of the country to kill and eat the two most common kinds of household pets.
“It is long overdue for Congress to unify animal cruelty laws across our country to explicitly ban the killing and consumption of these animals,” Hastings said Tuesday. “I am pleased to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to end this cruel and inhumane practice.”
His bill, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act, would amend the federal Animal Welfare Act to prevent these animals from being killed and consumed.
“As a proud dog owner, I understand what an important part of our families our four-legged friends are and I believe that they should be treated with the utmost respect,” said Rep. Dave Trott, R-Mich., one of the bill’s cosponsors.
Another cosponsor, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said it’s “astonishing” that the legislation is needed at all.
“It is past time for us to outlaw such a cruel and barbaric practice once and for all,” he said. “The Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 will finally make it illegal to slaughter animals most of us think of as family members.”
The bill is one of a handful of animal rights legislation that has been proposed in the last few weeks. In January, dozens of lawmakers proposed a resolution opposing the annual dog meat festival in China.
Last week, lawmakers proposed legislation that would stop the U.S. military from using thousands of pigs and goats each year in medical training exercises.
