Animal Equality Mexico Proposes Revolutionary Farmed Animal Bill in Jalisco
Last week, Animal Equality Mexico proposed a new farmed animal bill in Jalisco. The bill seeks to include animals raised for food in the state’s current animal protection law, and would add many meaningful protections for them.
THE BILL WOULD:
- Regulate the production of cage-free eggs, creating minimum standards for eggs to be labeled as “cage-free.”
- Prohibit forced molting, a practice commonly done in the meat industry that includes intentionally stressing hens by depriving them of food and water for extended periods. This causes the birds to molt (shed their feathers and grow new ones) simultaneously and results in larger eggs.
- Guarantee that breed selection takes into account animal health.
- Mandate that painful mutilations, which are commonplace in the meat industry throughout the world, must be performed by trained personnel under veterinary supervision. Such mutilations include dehorning, castration, and tail cropping.
- Ensure that all animals have access to adequate food and water.
- Provide animals with significant environmental enrichment and enough dark time to rest as well as enough light.
- Provide guidelines for natural disaster management that include evacuation if required.
- Mandate that chickens must have enough space to access food and water and to move and change posture naturally.
IMPROVEMENTS FOR ANIMALS: This bill’s proposal, which was made in collaboration with deputy Claudia Murguía Torres, comes about two years after our team in Mexico had another groundbreaking achievement when we helped pass a law that made cruelty to farmed animals a crime in Jalisco. Now, if passed, the new bill would be another significant step in the right direction and would impact the lives of countless animals for the better. The bill will be voted on sometime in May or June.
The protections set forth in this bill address some of the worst aspects of industrial animal agriculture, and are sorely needed – not just in Jalisco, but everywhere. The U.S. should sit up and take notice.
Sarah Hanneken, Legal Advocacy Counsel, Animal Equality
WHAT YOU CAN DO: The protections sought for in the proposed bill in Jalisco go above and beyond what most U.S. states’ farmed welfare standards are. The best thing you can do to help animals, regardless of where you live, is to simply avoid eating their flesh, eggs, or milk. With all of the great vegan options available, it’s easier than ever.
HAVE YOU SPOTTED POSSIBLE MISLEADING “WELFARE” CLAIMS ON MEAT, DAIRY, OR EGG PRODUCTS? LET US KNOW!
