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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 401 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 401

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                    September 12, 2018.
Whereas the consumption of dog meat has occurred in every corner of the world 
        including in Asia;
Whereas established dog meat markets still exist in Asia;
Whereas the Humane Society International, Animals Asia Foundation, and others 
        estimate that 30 million dogs and 10 million cats die annually across 
        Asia for the trade in dog and cat meat;
Whereas it is estimated as many as 200,000 live dogs are trafficked each year 
        from Thailand across the Mekong River to Vietnam, where dog meat is 
        considered a delicacy;
Whereas cat meat, known locally as ``little tiger'', is also a delicacy in 
        Vietnam and, although officially banned, is widely available in 
        specialty restaurants;
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 first intentionally subjected to extreme fear and suffering 
        through hanging or bludgeoning;
Whereas there appears to be little scientific evidence to support traditional 
        claims of the health benefits of consuming dog meat;
Whereas there have been reports of abuse, poor living conditions, and cruel 
        slaughtering techniques with respect to dogs and cats farmed for their 
        meat;
Whereas many dogs and cats die during transport to slaughterhouses, after days 
        or weeks crammed into small cages on the back of vehicles without food 
        or water, and others suffer from illness or injury during such 
        transport;
Whereas in February 2015, Vietnamese authorities impounded a truck in Hanoi 
        smuggling 3 tons of live cats from China that were intended for the 
        illegal cat meat trade, but then buried thousands of the seized cats--
        many, reportedly, while alive--claiming a desire to avoid the spread of 
        disease;
Whereas the extreme suffering of dogs and cats at such slaughterhouses and on 
        such transportation trucks would breach anti-cruelty laws in the United 
        States, such as the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) and the 
        Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.);
Whereas many government officials, civil society advocates, and activists are 
        working to end the dog and cat meat trade 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 Chinese activists have claimed that stolen pets are sometimes used in 
        the dog meat market in China;
Whereas Chinese dog transporters reportedly routinely flout regulations such as 
        the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture Veterinary Bureau Circular No. 16 
        (2013), which requires dogs to be quarantined and issued a quarantine 
        certificate before being transported across provincial boundaries;
Whereas the World Health Organization has linked the dog meat industry to human 
        outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and rabies, although consumption 
        of dog meat alone has not been confirmed to spread rabies to humans;
Whereas those involved in the dog meat industry are at an increased health risk 
        for zoonotic diseases, which can transfer from dogs to humans through 
        infectious material such as saliva;
Whereas the spread of such diseases may be exacerbated by unsanitary conditions 
        of slaughter and by the sale of dog meat at open-air markets and 
        restaurants; and
Whereas Betsy Miranda, Asia Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Rabies 
        Control, said in June 2013 that the spread of disease through the dog 
        meat trade was ``rampant'' across Southeast Asia, and that ``The risk 
        that the animals are in poor health and not vaccinated is very high. If 
        they move across borders they risk carrying the disease across large 
        distances'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls for an end to the dog and cat meat trade on cruelty and 
        public health grounds;
            (2) urges all nations to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade and 
        enforce existing laws against such trade; and
            (3) affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of 
        animals and to advancing the progress of animal protection around the 
        world.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
```