King Amendment Officially Dead

178179080 copy.jpg

Yesterday brought some exciting news for farmed animals in the United States: the reviled King Amendment was dropped from the House Farm Bill. This disturbing amendment sponsored by Representative Steve King of Iowa would have wiped out virtually every state law protecting farmed animals from even the most horrific cruelty.

Citizens, animal advocates, and nonprofit organizations came together, however, and fought this backward measure. This means that laws such as California’s groundbreaking Prop 2 will stay on the books where they belong.

The King Amendment not only threatened to nullify the few state laws that do provide protection to farmed animals, such as laws banning cruel crates and cages, prohibiting the force-feeding of ducks, and forbidding horse slaughter and shark finning, it jeopardized laws governing environmental protection, worker safety, and more. 

This proposed legislation would not only have set back American advancements for farmed animals, it would have set forth a dangerous idea. If this controversial amendment had passed, it could have prompted other industry lobby groups to push similar agendas in Canada and across the globe.

Mercy For Animals Canada would like to thank all of our American supporters and everyone who wrote letters and made phone calls to their members of Congress. This victory proves that a small handful of committed activists can make a huge difference.

While there is much to celebrate with the defeat of the King Amendment, it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done! Canada’s animal cruelty laws are weak, outdated, and in dire need of strengthening. Please support our work to expose abuses on Canadian factory farms, and help us push for stronger animal protection nationwide!