PLEASE NOTE: The Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture’s hearing “Setting a Course for Improving Farm Animal Welfare in California,” previously scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, has been postponed due to ongoing Budget negotiations.  You will be notified when a new date and time for this hearing has been scheduled.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank You, Jennifer Hanson (916-651-4016)

For Immediate Release                                      Jennifer Hanson
February 14, 2009                                              916-651-4016

Senate lays framework to improve farm animal welfare in wake of clear Prop. 2 mandate

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, led by Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter), will hold a hearing Tuesday morning in Sacramento to lay the framework for this year’s legislative efforts to implement improvements in farm animal welfare.

The newly-revamped committee has broadened its focus to include animal welfare in the wake of the obvious mandate demonstrated by the November passage of Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.  Prop. 2 addressed housing deficiencies and requires that, by January 1, 2015, producers give egg-laying hens, calves raised for veal and breeding pigs enough room to stand up, turn around and fully extend their limbs.

On Tuesday, the committee will hear from researchers, animal welfare organizations and industry leaders on welfare reforms that have been made and areas where identified shortcomings need to be addressed.  Florez will draw on the panelists’ experience to develop a framework for developing legislation to implement advised improvements thoroughly and efficiently, to the benefit of animal welfare, industry and consumer health.  One proposal already introduced as legislation would ban the long-standing practice of amputating the tails of dairy cows (Florez, SB 135).

“The voters of California made clear they believe that even animals raised for food deserve humane treatment, and we intend to see their wishes become reality,” Florez said. 

Tuesday’s hearing will include panelists from the University of California at Davis, the Humane Society of the United States of America, Pew Environment Group, Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, Food Empowerment Project, Animal Place, Armstrong Egg Farms, California Poultry Federation, Dairy Community Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship, California Cattlemen’s Association and the California Ag Teachers Association.

*** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY *** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

WHO: Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Shafter
         Chair, Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture

 
WHAT: Informational Hearing, “Setting a Course for Improving
           Farm Animal Welfare in California

WHEN: POSTPONED; new date and time TBD!

WHERE: State Capitol, Room 3191; Sacramento, CA