The legislation, which the U.S. House approved yesterday and the Senate passed Sept. 30, improves and strengthens a federal law dealing with criminal acts against animal enterprises, such as farms, meat processing companies and research laboratories. The bill amends the previously enacted Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992 – an animal agriculture and biomedical research initiative that for the first time made animal-rights terrorism a federal crime.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act revises criminal prohibitions against damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise to include intentional damage to any real or personal property and intentional threats of death or serious bodily injury against individuals or their family members, spouses or intimate partners who are involved with animal enterprises. It also increases monetary and criminal penalties for such crimes and modifies the definition of “animal enterprise“ to include an enterprise that uses or sells animals or animal products for profit for educational purposes; and an animal shelter, pet store, breeder, or furrier. “Expressive conduct“ such as picketing or other peaceful demonstrations would be protected by the First Amendment.

NPPC was part of a broad coalition of animal agriculture organizations that supported the legislation. More than 130 animal-rights groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States, opposed the measure. President Bush is expected to sign it into law.

“This legislation is about protecting the property and lives of people who legitimately engage in or associate with businesses in which animals are involved,“ said NPPC President Joy Philippi, a pork producer from Bruning, Neb. “This is a victory for animal agriculture and a defeat for those who believe that the destruction of property and the use of threats against individuals are legitimate means of protest.“

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