Animal welfare bill becomes federal law

By Ellen Essman, Ohio Law Blog, Agricultural & Resource Law Program at The Ohio State University

In November, the President signed the “Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act” (PACT), into law. PACT makes it a federal offense to purposely crush, burn, drown, suffocate, impale, or otherwise subject non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians to serious bodily injury.

PACT also outlaws creating and distributing video of such animal torture.  The law includes several exceptions, including during customary and normal veterinary, agricultural husbandry, and other animal management practices, as well as during slaughter, hunting, fishing, euthanasia, etc.