Dear Congress,
I am writing to 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.
[your comment here]
Although Congress has enacted more than 50 statutes related to animal welfare, there is essentially no federal regulation of farmed animal transportation in the United States. 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. Neither of these laws applies to animals transported by truck, despite the fact that this is the nation's primary method of transporting farmed animals. Further, even if the 28-hour law was applied to farmed animals transported in trucks, this law would still fail to provide humane treatment to these animals.
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.
Moreover, 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, in addition to providing 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.
[your name]
[your address]
