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Urge Your US Representative to Cosponsor the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act (H.R. 243).

Dear John,

Each year, hundreds of thousands to millions of farmed animals suffer and die during extreme weather events. In 2018, for example, approximately 5.5 million poultry and pigs perished from hurricanes Florence and Michael alone, and in 2020, over 100,000 poultry died in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Winter storms resulted in the deaths of 30,000 cattle in Texas and New Mexico in 2016 and more than 37,000 cattle in Montana in 2018. In 2021, a deep freeze in Texas resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of farm animals.

Congress and the USDA have created various disaster assistance programs over the years--including the Emergency Loan Program and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)--to compensate producers for such losses. Since 2008, the LIP alone has provided farmers with over $500 million in compensation. Despite the large price tag associated with these programs, farmers are not required to demonstrate that they took any steps to protect their animals from extreme weather before receiving compensation.

In the past several years we have faced unprecedented natural disasters and extreme weather events, including heat waves, raging wildfires, and catastrophic hurricanes. As the climate continues to change and extreme weather becomes more common, disaster planning is more important than ever. Congress should require any producers who receive compensation for the loss of farm animals due to adverse weather to take practical and meaningful steps to protect the animals from a horrific weather-related death.

TAKE ACTION ([link removed])

What You Can Do
Please contact your US representative and urge them to cosponsor the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act (H.R. 243). ([link removed])

As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Allie Granger
Policy Associate, Farm Animal Program

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Animal Welfare Institute
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The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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