2018 Farm Bill Signed Into Law
By: Patti Strand Date: 12/20/2018 Category: | Animal Legislation |
At long last, the 2018 Farm Bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, has been passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Trump. Provisions in this Act focusing on animal health are vitally important to NAIA and organizations like ours whose members are involved with hands-on animal care.
In particular, we would like to thank the conferees for including language in the final Farm Bill consistent with bipartisan amendments adopted in the House and Senate requiring a multi-agency report on dog importation and for further acknowledging that “animal and zoonotic diseases pose serious risks to the U.S., and greater understanding of the pathways these diseases could be entering the U.S., such as via imported live dogs, is warranted.”
Due to weaknesses in our current regulatory system, dogs with rabies, canine brucellosis, exotic parasites and canine flu have entered the US in recent years. The recognition of this serious shortcoming and the Managers’ instruction to the Secretary “… to develop a report on the importation of live dogs … no later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act …” provides the first and fundamental step in a process that will ultimately reduce risks to animal and public health and provide reasonable oversight of dogs entering the US.
NAIA is grateful to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees for their work on this bill and to the sponsors, Representatives Dunn of Florida, Hartzler of Missouri, Schrader of Oregon, Yoho of Florida, Abraham of Louisiana and Senators Perdue of Georgia and Casey of Pennsylvania, for championing this important provision.
We look forward to working with USDA as they carry out this study and are committed to advancing federal policies that ensure that our import laws and regulations adequately protect our nation’s dogs and public health.
Many thanks to our partner in this important issue, the American Kennel Club.
About The Author
Patti is a recognized expert and consultant on contemporary animal issues, most notably responsible dog ownership and the animal rights movement. She often appears on radio and television and her articles on canine issues, animal welfare, public policy and animal rights have appeared in major US news publications and in trade, professional and scientific journals. Patti and her…
All Authors Of This Article: | Patti Strand |
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