Animal Law Project

         Through the funding of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Animal Legal & Historical Center is  offering four $1,000 summer research grants.  Under this grant program, students are assigned topics and they draft a paper for posting on the website along with relevant primary legal materials. The commitment is to a minimum of 100 hours to be completed before August 15, 2008.  You would be permitted to work from a computer located anywhere in the United States, or even foreign countries if you have Internet access.  It is suggested that you should be comfortable with a computer, but you do not have to know how to build web pages.

     This project has been underway for over five years.   We now have considerable material available on the Website at: www.animallaw.info.   We  have created a basic set of materials for a number of animal issues, posting several hundred cases and statutes in the process. There are now about 4,000
people who visit the site on a daily basis. Two of our student papers have been requested for printing in books. However, much remains to be done.  Please take a moment to view the site if you have not done so before.  Summertime and law students combine to create a opportunity to add even more materials to the site.

    We have publication needs in enforcement by humane societies, local ordinances, zoning, landlord tenant, comparative law with other countries, state cruelty laws, and animal liability laws.   We also need to have more topics that are species focused — tigers, ferrets, bears and dairy cows being just a few. We are open to additional topics if you have interests and expertise within a particular area.

    We will take applications from any student enrolled in ABA US law school. Given the limited number of grants and the expected number of applications, those who have completed their second year of law school will be given a priority.

 Questions? Contact Professor David Favre: favre@law.msu.edu, 517-432-6890

Thanks to all who attended our Spring Legal Education Event. Our materials are now posted under Recent Projects, as well as here.

Spring 2008 Legal Education Event Materials

In preparation for another great semester, we are seeking applicants for the position of Animal Law Project Co-Chair. Becoming a co-chair is a great way to work together with fellow students and pro bono attorneys while learning about animal rights issues.

ALP co-chair duties include: soliciting projects from new and existing relationships with non-profit organizations, managing student work, organizing speakers and conferences, recruiting students, ensuring ALP’s compliance with the Toll Public Service Center and other Penn administration requirements, facilitating student involvement in animal law events and activities, applying for funding, updating the ALP website, and representing ALP to students, faculty, staff, practitioners, and the greater Philadelphia community. The application, which you can find here, along with your resume, are due Friday, March 28, 2008 via email to animallawproject@law.upenn.edu.

     In furtherance of ALP’s goal to engage the Penn community in meaningful discussion of the legal and ethical issues arising from our relationship with animals, ALP is proud to host a talk by Gene Baur, the President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, one of the nation’s leading farm animal protection organizations, which runs the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America.  The talk, including an opportunity for questions and answers, will take place on Thursday, April 3rd, 6:30 PM at Penn Law School, 3400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, Room 240A (Silverman Hall)In this talk, Gene Baur, will discuss the inadequacy of laws pertaining to the welfare of animals in the U.S. food industry. Agribusiness is an influential player in state and federal legislative and regulatory bodies and has successfully advanced policies to exempt farm animals from basic humane protections. Farm animals are excluded from the Federal Animal Welfare Act, and they are not adequately protected under most state anti-cruelty laws, which exempt inhumane practices as long as they are considered ‘normal’ or ‘customary’ by agribusiness.  Come and engage on these important issues including not only animal cruelty but also the preferential consideration afforded factory farms in connection with  environmental, health and labor laws, while at the same time they are receiving billions of dollars in government support.  Learn why many believe our cheap food system is actually very costly.Reception to follow. RSVP to animallawproject@law.upenn.edu. 

ALP is proud to invite you to its Third Annual Spring Legal Education Event to be held on Saturday, March 29th, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at  Law School, 3400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA in Room 240B (Silverman Hall)Penn Law students will give workshops on contemporary topics in animal law including  dogfighting, the law of exotic animals, foie gras, and the use of ballot initiatives as an animal advocacy tool. The presentations are geared towards a mixed audience, so no legal background is required.  The event is free and refreshments will be provided.  RSVPs are always appreciated so please email animallawproject@law.upenn.edu if you plan to attend. 

        Two weeks after the largest beef recall in U.S. history, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reportedly suspended at least two of its federal meat inspectors.  USDA inspectors are stationed at slaughter plants and are charged with ensuring compliance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act as well as USDA regulations.  After the mad cow scare in the United Kingdom, the USDA enacted a temporary regulation banning the slaughter of “downer” cattle, those too weak or injured to walk to slaughter.  The USDA issued the recent recall after undercover video released by the Humane Society of the United States (”HSUS”) showed many downer cows being dragged or pushed by forklifts, hit with electric prods or shot in the face with water in an attempt to get them to stand. 

     The National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, the inspectors’ union, said the USDA confirmed it has placed a veterinarian and a floor inspector from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. on paid administrative leave.  In addition, two of the workers in the video face criminal charges and the slaughterhouse, which supplied one-fifth of the meat used in the National School Lunch Program, has closed.

     The recall launched a series of congressional hearings and close scrutiny of the USDA’s meat and poultry inspection system. The agency claims it is understaffed with  an average national vacancy rate of 10 percent and has said it is currently short about 500 inspectors.

      Still, on Thursday, the agriculture secretary resisted calls from Democratic senators for a complete ban on downer cattle for human consumption. Such cows pose a higher risk of E. coli, salmonella contamination and mad cow disease since they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.  Agriculture Secretary Edward T. Schafer instead announced new steps he said would ensure the safety of the country’s meat supply, including more random inspections of slaughterhouses and immediate audits of the 23 plants that supply meat for federal programs, primarily school lunches.

     It does not appear that the Secretary intends to respond with a request for more funding to increase inspections.  Indeed, for most recent budget years, the USDA has in fact requested a lower amount of funding for enforcement than Congress  has actually awarded in the Federal Budget.  

    Another point of interest to animal advocates is the fact that the undercover HSUS agent spent only six weeks at the facility, an indication that the actions he filmed were not an aberration but part of the normal course of business.  It is also worth noting that the animals were actually spent dairy cows rather than beef cattle. That would explain (1) why they were going to fast food restaurants and school lunch programs  and (2) why many of them are too weak to walk to slaughter.  Dairy cows are not raised or bred for the quality of their meat so they are only used for ground beef and they spend most of their lives stationary and so have no musculature, rendering them weak and more likely to lack the strength to ambulate to slaughter.

Appeals court overturns woman’s cruelty conviction in dog’s death

(AP) A state appeals court has overturned a woman’s conviction in the shooting death of her pet dog. Thirty-four-year-old Wendy Kneller of East Penn Township was convicted in October 2006 of criminal conspiracy to commit cruelty to animals. She was sentenced to six months to a year in jail. Prosecutors say she told her boyfriend to shoot their 6-year-old pit bull-chow mix named Bouta.But a three-judge state Superior Court panel says Pennsylvania law allows a dog owner to kill a pet with a firearm.The court says the state’s law on killing animals is confusing. It is a misdemeanor to willfully and maliciously kill, mutilate or torture a dog or cat. But a subsection allows owners of a dog or cat to kill it, as long as the killing is not malicious.The judges say another part of the state code lets humane societies use a gun to destroy animals.

Welcome to the future home of the Animal Law Project. More to come!