Sen. Moran criticizes HSUS involvement in APHIS meeting

In a video posted on YouTube, Sen. Jerry Moran from Kansas soundly criticizes the USDA Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) for its plans to involve the Humane Society of the United States in planning an animal welfare scientific forum to the exclusion of agricultural organizations.

In his Nov. 2 speech on the Senate floor, Moran said: “The ironic thing about this forum is that there’s little science involved. It is nothing more than, in my view, the Department of Agriculture spending taxpayer dollars on a forum to provide the Human Society of the United States a public forum to espouse its anti-agricultural views.

“…it becomes clear that the Department of Agriculture is catering to an outside organization instead of relying upon the advice of animal scientists at our land grant universities or even within the Department of Agriculture,” Moran continued. “If the Department of Agriculture was interested in science, why would it allow an animal rights organization to steer its agenda?”

In a posting on his Facebook site a couple of days later, Moran further explained, “On Wednesday, I spoke to my colleagues in the Senate about my concerns regarding an animal welfare scientific forum being planned by the Department of Agriculture and HSUS. What's ironic is it looks like there will be little science involved - instead, it seems it will be a public forum for animal rights organizations, like HSUS, to share their anti-agricultural views. USDA's mission is to work to promote agriculture - not to work against American farmers and ranchers. Moving forward, I will work to ensure the USDA adheres to its primary mission.”

It may seem surprising that the USDA-APHIS would plan an animal welfare meeting in this fashion, but Moran believes it’s business as usual for the government agency. “This is one more demonstration that this administration is no real friend of rural America or the American farmer and rancher,” he said. “USDA should live up to its mission statement and work to promote agriculture, not to work against farmers and ranchers best interest—and I would say, not to work against the best interests of the consumer of food in this country.”

Read the full transcript of Moran’s speech here.

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