• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
Veterinary Heroes
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Complaints swamp N.J. animal health leaders

August 1, 2003
Jennifer Fiala

Trenton, N.J.-As New Jersey lawmakers edge closer to passing new health regulations for livestock, activists attempt to derail the adoption of what they call "cruel" standards.

Trenton, N.J.-As New Jersey lawmakers edge closer to passing new health regulations for livestock, activists attempt to derail the adoption of what they call "cruel" standards.

In May, the state agriculture department's Division of Animal Health, charged by legislators in 1996 to establish standards for the "humane raising, care, treatment, marketing and sale of domestic livestock," drafted rules published in the New Jersey Register. During a 60-day public response period ending July 4, thousands of e-mails and letters from animal activists rejecting the proposed rules poured into government offices.

The onslaught has hindered the Division of Animal Health's adoption process and the work of Director Dr. Nancy Halpern, who must respond to each critique. Halpern refused to comment on the letters, but Public Information Officer Hope Gruzlovic confirms thousands have been received.

Advertisement

"It's plain harassment," says Dr. David Meirs, an equine practitioner in Cream Ridge, N.J., who authored regulations on humane care for horses. "You can imagine what a couple hundred e-mails a day can do to the workweek. No matter what kind of regulations the department comes up with, these people won't be happy."

What activists want nixed from the standards are allowances for forced molting, gestation crates, veal stalls, tail docking of dairy cattle and hen battery cages. They also object to written warnings for first-time regulatory violators and urge the development of requirements for keeping outdoor animals.

Demand for change

Their argument: While most of the proposed regulations are common in the United States, they "codify practices so cruel that they are banned in many other countries and states and are denounced by the animal welfare experts," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reports.

But even as PETA's Web site claims the standards, if adopted, would give producers "carte blanche to remain indefinitely in the Dark Ages of animal agriculture," a public hearing July 20 at Rutgers University's Cook Campus Center in New Brunswick steered clear of the circus often associated with activist-laden events.

In orderly fashion

"Considering the topic and how emotionally charged it is, it's amazing that the hearing came out as civil as it did," says Meirs, who spoke in favor of the proposed rules. "These regulations have been compiled with the best available scientific input from the veterinary profession and animal scientists. They're scientific, objective, comprehensive and enforceable."

For those reasons, activists likely won't see results from their campaign, says Rick Alampi, head of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association.

"The fact that a group of people is very much opposed to the philosophy of regulations promulgated doesn't mean the state will change or adopt the regulations as drafted," he says.

Final approval of the regulations is expected in the coming months.


Advertisement

Latest News

Partners for Health Pets and VHMA collaboration publish white paper

Vetstoria releases its Fill Rate platform

What's new with the "Dentistry Lane" across the veterinary profession?

Meet the BlackDVM Network

View More Latest News
Advertisement