[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 156 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5757-S5758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 26--CALLING FOR AN END TO THE CONSUMPTION 
                     AND TRADE OF DOG AND CAT MEAT

  Mr. MERKLEY submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 26

       Whereas a bipartisan domestic prohibition on the 
     consumption or trade of dog and cat meat was included in 
     section 12515 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 
     U.S.C. 2160), which was signed into law by the President on 
     December 20, 2018;
       Whereas the consumption of dog meat has occurred throughout 
     the world, primarily in Asia;
       Whereas established markets for dog meat still exist as of 
     September 2019;
       Whereas Humane Society International, Animals Asia 
     Foundation, and others estimate that 30,000,000 dogs and 
     10,000,000 cats

[[Page S5758]]

     die annually worldwide as a result of the dog and cat meat 
     trade;
       Whereas, due to a traditional belief that high adrenaline 
     levels produce tender meat and increase supposed health 
     benefits, dogs killed for their meat may be intentionally 
     subjected to extreme fear and suffering through hanging and 
     bludgeoning;
       Whereas there have been reports that dogs and cats farmed 
     for their meat experience abuse, poor living conditions, and 
     cruel slaughtering techniques;
       Whereas, during transport to slaughterhouses, many dogs and 
     cats die or suffer illness or injury as a result of being 
     crammed into small cages on the back of vehicles for days or 
     weeks without food or water;
       Whereas the extreme suffering of dogs and cats at 
     slaughterhouses and on transportation trucks would breach 
     anti-cruelty laws in the United States, such as--
       (1) the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.); and
       (2) Public Law 85-765 (commonly known as the ``Humane 
     Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958'') (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.);
       Whereas many government officials, civil society advocates, 
     and activists are working to end the trade of dog and cat 
     meat on anti-cruelty and public health grounds, and the 
     governments of Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have passed 
     laws banning the slaughter of dogs for meat consumption;
       Whereas the World Health Organization has linked the dog 
     meat industry to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and 
     rabies among humans;
       Whereas the people involved in the dog meat industry are at 
     an increased health risk for zoonotic diseases, such as 
     rabies, which can transfer from dogs to humans through 
     infectious material such as saliva;
       Whereas the spread of disease in the dog meat industry may 
     be exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions of slaughter and 
     the sale of dog meat at open-air markets and restaurants; and
       Whereas the World Health Organization and the Global 
     Alliance for Rabies Control have acknowledged the link 
     between the spread of rabies and the dog meat trade, which 
     involves the movement of large numbers of dogs of unknown 
     disease status across vast distances: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) calls for an end to the consumption and trade of dog 
     and cat meat on anti-cruelty and public health grounds;
       (2) urges all nations with a dog or cat meat trade to adopt 
     and enforce laws banning the consumption and trade of dog and 
     cat meat; and
       (3) affirms the commitment of the United States to 
     advancing the causes of animal protection and animal welfare 
     domestically and around the world.

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