Hopefully the implementation of a strong Conservation Security Program will indeed result in significant benefits for dryland and wetlands fauna, including fish.  And hopefully it will encourage an ever greater sense of committed stewardship on the part of those who oversee those fluid borders between developed land and wilderness.

It is remarkable, the number of ways in which the welfare of animals is addressed (or is not but should be) in the Farm Bill.  The problem of the CAFOization of the meat industry has already been discussed in a number of places in Gristmill.  But I was surprised to get this message yesterday, from Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States:

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Several measures to protect pets are being considered for inclusion in the final Farm Bill: measures that would stop the use in research of random source dogs and cats obtained through "Class B dealers," stop the importation of puppies from foreign puppy mills for commercial sale, strengthen the federal law against dogfighting, increase the maximum penalties for Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations, and require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resume providing annual reports on its AWA enforcement efforts.

TAKE ACTION
Please make brief, polite phone calls to your federal legislators to urge them to support these critical measures to protect pets in the final Farm Bill.

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Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.