The Issues
Proposed Legislation and Public Policy
Federal Legislation
Farm Bill: Ask your Senators to Keep Animal Cloning OUT of Agriculture
For the past several years, animal advocates, alongside a cadre of consumer protection groups, have been seeking to make the FDA's current moratorium on food products from cloned animals permanent. Now, thanks to an amendment drafted by U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), we have a chance to prevent the haphazard cloning of farm animals.
Ask Your Senators to Support Anti-Cloning Measure in the Farm Bill
The cloning of farm animals is a hot-button issue both for consumer protection groups and animal welfare advocates, because cloned animals frequently suffer from fatal, congenital defects-including intestinal blockages; diabetes; shortened tendons; deformed feet; weakened immune systems; dysfunctional hearts, brains, livers, and kidneys; respiratory distress; and circulatory problems-all of which lead to pain and early death. Cloning of farm animals is also of concern because it further stratifies the mechanistic industrialization of animal agriculture by relegating animals to the status of mere production units, rather than granting them the well deserved status of sentient individuals.
Because of strong consumer opposition to the use of cloned animal products in the food supply, the FDA has placed a moratorium on cloned animal products-which the biotechnology industry is working diligently to undo. To remedy this, Senators Barbara Mikulski and Arlen Specter have introduced an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill, which is now under debate on the Senate floor.
The Mikulski-Specter Amendment, Amendment No. 3524, will stipulate that additional and stringent requirements be met before cloned animal products are allowed into the food supply. By forcing the producers of cloned animals to meet these requirements, the Mikulski-Specter Amendment will put a damper on attempts to fully integrate animal cloning into the factory farming paradigm and can help permanently ban the cloning of animals by the factory farming industry.
You Can Help!
Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) are the Chair and Ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, respectively, and they are also the managers of the Farm Bill. As such, they have the exclusive power to include the Mikulski-Specter Amendment in the Manager's package which will go to the senate floor.
Please take a moment to contact your two U.S. Senators and ask them to urge Senator Chambliss and Senator Harkin to "include the Mikulski-Specter Amendment, in the Manager's package for the 2007 Farm Bill."
You may send and email to your two U.S. Senators, but phone calls are always the most effective way to convey your message to your elected officials. You can find out who your senators are and how to contact them by going to www.congress.org. If you have just an extra minute, please contact Senators Harkin and Chambliss directly and politely urge them to "include the Mikulski-Specter Amendment, in the Manager's package for the 2007 Farm Bill."
Senator Harkin:
Phone 202-224-3254; Fax 202-224-9369
Web Comment Form
Senator Chambliss:
Phone: 202-224-3521; Fax 202-224-0103
Web Comment Form
Thank you so much for taking this action!
Additional information:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-992
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