I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2519

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to ensure 

the humane slaughter of nonambulatory livestock, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 19, 2003

Mr. ACKERMAN (for himself, Mr. HOUGHTON, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. SMITH of 

New Jersey, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. BALDWIN, 

Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. BASS, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 

CONYERS, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. 

TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. DELAURO, 

Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr. DICKS, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. 

FARR, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GOSS, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. 

HINCHEY, Mr. HOBSON, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. HOLT, Mr. HONDA, Mr. 

INSLEE, Mr. ISRAEL, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE

JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, 

Mr. KILDEE, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. KIRK, Mr. KUCINICH, Mrs. KELLY, 

Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Ms. 

LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. LOWEY, Mrs. 

MALONEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. MCNULTY, 

Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. 

GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MOORE, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. 

NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. OLVER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, 

Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUSH, Mr. 

RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SAXTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. 

STARK, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. 

UDALL of Colorado, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 

WAXMAN, Mr. WEINER, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WOLF, Ms. 

WOOLSEY, Mr. WU, and Mr. WYNN) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
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•HR 2519 IH 

A BILL

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 

of 2002 to ensure the humane slaughter of nonambulatory livestock, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Downed Animal Pro5 tection Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. UNLAWFUL SLAUGHTER PRACTICES INVOLVING 

7 NONAMBULATORY LIVESTOCK. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 10815 of the Farm Secu9 rity and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1967) 

10 is amended—

11 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub12 section (f); 

13 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in14 serting the following: 

15 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 ‘‘(1) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘covered en17 tity’ means—

18 ‘‘(A) a stockyard; 

19 ‘‘(B) a market agency; 

20 ‘‘(C) a dealer; 

21 ‘‘(D) a slaughter facility; and 
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1 ‘‘(E) an establishment. 

2 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The term ‘establish3 ment’ means an establishment that is covered by the 

4 Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et 

5 seq.). 

6 ‘‘(3) HUMANELY EUTHANIZE.—The term ‘hu7 manely euthanize’ means to kill an animal by me8 chanical, chemical, or other means that immediately 

9 renders the animal unconscious, with this state re10 maining until the death of the animal. 

11 ‘‘(4) NONAMBULATORY LIVESTOCK.—The term 

12 ‘nonambulatory livestock’ means any cattle, sheep, 

13 swine, goats, or horses, mules, or other equines, that 

14 are unable to stand and walk unassisted. 

15 ‘‘(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

16 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

17 ‘‘(b) HUMANE TREATMENT, HANDLING, AND DIS18 POSITION.—The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to 

19 provide for the humane treatment, handling, and disposi20 tion of nonambulatory livestock by covered entities, includ21 ing a requirement that nonambulatory livestock be hu22 manely euthanized. 

23 ‘‘(c) HUMANE EUTHANASIA.—

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

25 when an animal becomes nonambulatory, a covered 
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•HR 2519 IH 

1 entity shall immediately humanely euthanize the 

2 nonambulatory livestock. 

3 ‘‘(2) DISEASE TESTING.—Paragraph (1) shall 

4 not limit the ability of the Secretary to test non5 ambulatory livestock for a disease, such as Bovine 

6 Spongiform Encephalopathy. 

7 ‘‘(d) MOVEMENT.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A covered entity shall not 

9 move nonambulatory livestock while the non10 ambulatory livestock are conscious. 

11 ‘‘(2) UNCONSCIOUSNESS.—In the case of any 

12 nonambulatory livestock that are moved, the covered 

13 entity shall ensure that the nonambulatory livestock 

14 remain unconscious until death. 

15 ‘‘(e) INSPECTIONS.—It shall be unlawful for an es16 tablishment to pass through inspection any nonambulatory 

17 livestock.’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (f) (as redesignated by para19 graph (1))—

20 (A) in the first sentence—

21 (i) by inserting ‘‘this section and’’ 

22 after ‘‘enforcing’’; and 

23 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘this section’’; and 

25 (B) in the second sentence—
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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘this section or’’ after 

2 ‘‘violates’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘this section’’. 

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para7 graph (2), the amendments made by subsection (a) 

8 take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act. 

10 (2) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 1 year after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

12 Agriculture shall promulgate final regulations to im13 plement the amendments made by subsection (a).

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