Please contact your federal legislators and urge them to support bill HR746 / S388 (The AWARE Act) requiring the humane treatment of animals in federal research facilities, introduced by Representative Blumenauer and Senator Booker.
This is an important federal bill currently in Congress that, if passed, would be an actual inroad into the exclusion of farm animals from the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act requires that minimum standards of humane care are observed in federal and private research facilities. Farm animals are currently not afforded even these minimum protections. Getting this bill passed would be a big step forward.
The AWARE Act was introduced in response to a New York Times expose of a TAXPAYER FUNDED federal research center in rural Nebraska, the US Meat Animal Research Center (MARC). The MARC Center is devoted to research intended to increase profits and production for the meat industry. Cows, pigs, and sheep have been the victims of gruesome experimental surgeries and breeding techniques that have caused sickness, pain, and the premature death of thousands of animals. 6,500 animals have died of starvation alone since 1985.
The US Department of Agriculture oversees the MARC. However, due to the fact that the Animal Welfare Act does not require the humane treatment of farm animals, the research being done at MARC is legal. The AWARE Act seeks to put an end to this taxpayer funded, inhumane research.
Please contact your federal legislators and ask them to support bill HR746 / S388 requiring the humane treatment of animals in federal research facilities, introduced by Representative Blumenauer and Senator Booker.