US Cracks Down on Animal Cruelty with Historic Laws
The US has just passed a flurry of groundbreaking animal welfare laws, cracking down on cruel practices from animal testing to shark finning.
Game-Changing Animal Testing Reforms
December 2022 saw the FDA Modernisation Act 2.0 swoop in to ditch mandatory animal testing for new drugs and biosimilars — a move experts say could revolutionise medicine. Around 75% of animals used in testing are for drug development, so this change is massive.
Animal Wellness Action also secured an extra $5 million for FDA programs fighting animal testing cruelty, pushing the total to $12.5 million. As a result, safer and more reliable medicines are on the horizon.
Horse Racing Gets an Integrity Overhaul
After legal drama threatened to weaken it, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act got fixed with new statutory amendments. This law bans race-day doping, tackling performance-enhancing drug abuse that endangers horses and mucked-up the industry’s reputation.
Animal Wellness Action teamed up with The Jockey Club and set up HISAWatchdog.org to keep tabs on fair play.
Big Cats and Sharks Finally Protected
- Big Cat Public Safety Act bans cub-petting operations that treated tiger and lion cubs as photo props. Signed after an 11-year campaign, it closes down thousands of private menageries breeding big cats for cash.
- Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act wipes shark fins from all US menus, hitting back at the global slaughter of up to 70 million sharks yearly. This law sent a loud message worldwide, especially where shark fin soup still has a fan base.
Record Funding and a Decade of Wins
Alongside these laws, the Horse Protection Act of 1970 enforcement got its biggest funding boost ever. Since 2018, Animal Wellness Action has helped pass 12 major animal protection laws, including bans on dog and cat meat sales and acts to prevent animal cruelty nationwide.
“Reducing animal testing, shutting down commercial cub-petting, stopping doping in horse racing, and combating shark finning are good policies for the US,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy.
“We applaud President Biden, the White House, and the 117th Congress for enacting the most comprehensive legislative victories for animals in history,” added Marty Irby, equestrian and executive director at Animal Wellness Action.
