A 19th century law requiring that rail cars stop every 28 hours to
provide food water and rest to transported livestock, it just now applies to
trucks according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.
Of course, the livestock industry has raised concerns about the rule. They
are more interested in transporting their animals as fast as possible to
their destination. For example, according to Leon Yantis, president of the
Iowa Cattlemen's Association, trucks carrying calves avoid stopping so the
animals don't lie down, because calves travel better standing.
Surprisingly, the USDA had notified its staff in 2003 that the law applied
to trucks, but the decision did not become public until the department
responded to a petition filed by HSUS: "USDA's decision could substantially
reduce suffering for the millions of farm animals trucked long distances
each year in the United States."
Unfortunately, this law doesn’t apply to chickens and turkeys since they have always been exempted.
The cruelty involved in animal transport is inexcusable, as well as the exemption of poultry in animal protection laws. As stewards of God’s creation we are failing miserably and the compassion shown to non-human creatures is minimal. Maybe our hearts and minds could be opened to the reality of animal exploitation if we decided to see life from the victims’ perspective.Read more at Animal Issues