My peeps at EWG do a lot of work relating to the Farm Bill, so when it comes to agricultural policy I know more than the average dog.
Maybe that's not saying much, though, because I didn't know that the Farm Bill would directly affect pets until I read this blog post at Pet Connection. It points to an Associated Press article about pork -- not like pigs, though, or tasty bacon. In this case, "pork" is extra provisions that have nothing to do with the real purpose of the bill. They just got slipped in to get everybody to agree to the rest of it. That's politics for ya.
Anyway, A couple of the provisions pertain to us pet-types:
Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill, inserted a measure to curb the import of puppies for commercial sale from foreign puppy mills. The bill also strengthens the federal animal fighting law.
I'm all for anything that strengthens laws against animal fighting. I think the other provision might have some unintended consequences, like cutting back on competition for puppy mills here in the US, but it's a step in the right direction.
Photo by hthg1983. Read full post.
