Zoetis: Heritage Feeds Tomorrow. Pride. Commitment. Purpose. Values to carry you

National Pork Producers Council Asking Veterinarians and Animal Health Professionals for Help

June 13, 2007 — Annamaria Castiglia

The swine industry is under attack not only from animal-rights activists but also from legislators in Washington, D.C.

Sens. Edward Kennedy and Sherrod Brown and Rep. Louise Slaughter are sponsoring legislation (S. 549 and H.R. 962, respectively) that would prohibit the use in livestock of antibiotics that are necessary for maintaining our animals' good health when challenged by disease outbreaks; Rep. Gary Ackerman and Sen. Daniel Akaka are sponsoring bills (H.R. 661 and S. 394, respectively) that would keep fatigued hogs from the food supply; and Reps. Peter DeFazio and Christopher Shays are offering legislation (H.R. 1726, the "Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act") that would prohibit the federal government from buying meat from farms that use individual sow housing systems.

We need the pork industry's voice to be heard loud and clear on these issues. NPPC is asking interested parties to sign on today to the Legislative Action Center of NPPC's Web site, and let your congressional lawmakers know about your opposition to these ill-conceived and ill-advised proposals. Here's how to send a letter to your senators and representative:

  1. Log on to NPPC.
  2. Click the Legislative Action Center button located on the left side of the screen.
  3. Click the link for "New? Register Here" and enter your profile information.
  4. Your log-in from this point forward will be your e-mail address.
  5. Choose your legislator.
  6. Once you have entered your profile, you can take action by clicking the federal issue tab.
  7. Here you will find the legislative letters already drafted.
  8. These letters have been developed for pork producers, so as veterinarians, nutritionists, etc. you will have to edit the letters or just write your own thoughts.
  9. If you decide to use the existing letter, highlight the second sentence in the producers letter to the last word in the text and copy the text.
  10. Choose the prompt for blank letter space.
  11. Paste the copied text into the blank letter space.
  12. Include your own personal introductory sentence.
  13. Click send.

If you have any questions on this process, please don't hesitate to call Dr. Annamaria Castiglia at NPPC at (202) 347-3600 Thank you for taking action and making your voices heard.

Annamaria Castiglia, NPPC Director of Science and Technology