Urging All Nations to Outlaw the Dog and Cat Meat Trade

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 401) urging China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, India, and all nations to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade and to enforce existing laws against the trade, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the resolution.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Hastings for authoring this important measure on the dog and cat meat trade. It is an important issue to animal lovers around this globe, and this resolution has garnered tremendous bipartisan support. He has over 100 cosponsors in this Congress for it.

Protecting the world's animals, whether we are talking about dogs and cats or rhinoceros and elephant, it is not a partisan issue; and I am proud to have authored a number of critical pieces of legislation to advance this cause, including the END Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016.

Mr. Speaker, in recent years, we have made some important progress toward stopping the consumption of dog meat around the world. But, sadly, dog meat markets still exist in Asia.

In fact, it is estimated that 30 million dogs and 10 million cats die annually across Asia as a result of the dog and cat meat trade, and they often live under horrendous conditions.

And this practice--I would make one other point--it also raises serious public health concerns. The World Health Organization has linked the dog meat industry to human outbreaks of multiple serious diseases, including cholera, and including rabies. The spread of disease is made worse by all aspects of the trade, from the unsanitary conditions of slaughter, and the sale of dog meat in open-air markets and restaurants, and from that, to the trafficking of these animals across international borders.

This important resolution urges all nations to abolish the dog and cat meat trade, to enforce existing laws against such trade, and to affirm the U.S. commitment to protecting animals, both here at home and around the world.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this measure.

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time to close.

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Hastings again for this legislation and for championing his support for the protection of dogs and cats around the world.

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