Protecting California Dairy Families – Fighting Radical Anti-Animal Ag Legislation

About AB 554

The bill is ripe for abuse by extremist groups fundamentally opposed to production agriculture, fairs, zoos, rodeos, and other activities involving animals.

The Corporations Code sets an incredibly low bar for a group to incorporate as an SPCA (any 20 citizens), which would then authorize activists to bring meritless civil suits causing reputational and financial harm to such businesses.

This coalition has made repeated attempts to provide good-faith amendments to narrow the bill to the stated intent – which were rejected.

The author has publicly stated the intent of the bill is to go after puppy mills and backyard breeders yet declined to accept amendments limiting the bill to “companion animals” while still protecting the right of SPCAs to bring civil action in those cases. This reveals our organizations ARE IN FACT the intended targets of the sponsors.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (the sponsor) claims that “commonplace, standard industry practices” within the livestock industry which are “perfectly legal” constitute “cruelty.”

This bill enables ALDF to pursue its definition of “cruelty” in the civil courts – a strategy to harass or outright eliminate animal agriculture production, fairs, accredited zoos, rodeos, and other activities where animals are present in California.

Animal welfare is paramount to all the organizations listed in opposition to the bill.

California has the highest animal welfare standards in the nation. Our organizations believe those who abuse or neglect animals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law – in criminal court where an unbiased prosecutor vets claims of animal abuse alleged by an SPCA.

Listen to the Podcast Episode

See Floor Alert

See Coalition Opposition Letter

See Proposed Amendments

AB 554