FW: Tell Your State AVMA Representative That You Care About Farmed Animals

[Guest guest]

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>Tell the AVMA to Drop Endorsements of Forced Molting and Gestation Crates

>Dear PETA Friend,

>

>Did you know that even McDonald's minimal animal-welfare standards surpass

>the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA)? As veterinarian Dr.

>Peggy Larson put it, " [M]ost of the association's policies promote animal

>industries at the expense of ... animal welfare, including promoting

>practices that cause great harm, pain and unplanned death. "

>

>Resenting the efforts of PETA and other animal rights groups to combat

>industries that abuse animals, such as the meat, dairy, entertainment, and

>animal-testing industries, with which the AVMA has close ties, the AVMA

>repeatedly lets animals down by stacking advisory committees with

>agriculture-industry veterinarians with reputations for opposing welfare

>improvements.

>

>Forced Molting

>Crammed together by the thousands in windowless sheds, chickens are

>periodically and deliberately starved until the sheer stress of this

>experience causes them to lose their feathers and forces them into a new

>egg-laying cycle. The stress also kills many of the birds and impairs the

>immune systems of those who survive the ordeal. Forced molting is also a

>known factor in foodborne salmonella infections.

>

>Gestation Crates

>Gestation crates are narrow, miserably uncomfortable concrete-floored

>stalls that keep a pregnant sow from ever being able to take two steps in

>any direction or turn around. A sow spends most of her five- or six-year

>life in this tiny, barren prison. A " baby-making machine, " she is

>artificially inseminated soon after each new litter and may never breathe

>fresh air, feel the sunshine on her back, or know a moment's joy or

>contentment.

>

>Both of these practices have been banned in Europe. Voters in Florida

>recently passed an initiative banning gestation crates by an overwhelming

>majority. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association has a strong position

>statement against forced molting. Even the three giant fast-food chains

>McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's have stopped their suppliers from

>using forced molting. But the AVMA continues to endorse these abuses.

>

>Tell Your State AVMA Representative That You Care About Farmed Animals

>The AVMA, which claims to represent all U.S. veterinarians, is governed by

>its House of Delegates, including a delegate and alternate from each state,

>the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These delegates have the power

>to reverse the AVMA's endorsements of the cruel and inhumane

>factory-farming practices of forced molting of hens and confining pregnant

>sows to gestation crates.

>

>Please contact your state's AVMA representatives immediately to let them

>know that you care about farmed animals and that you hope that they will

>speak out against these practices to the AVMA.

>

>To automatically generate an e-mail message to your state's AVMA delegates,

>please click on AVMAHurtsAnimals.com/AVMA/wycd-rep.aspx.

>

>Please also write to the president of the AVMA:

>

>Jack O. Walther, D.V.M., President

>American Veterinary Medical Association

>1931 N. Meacham Rd., Ste. 100

>Schaumburg, IL 60173

>847-925-8070

>847-925-1329 (fax)

>waltherdvm

>

>Thank you for all you do for animals,

>

>Megan Hartman

>Senior Department Coordinator

>MeganH

>757-622-7382, ext. 8256

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