Farm Animal Welfare Coalition Writes Congress On DISCLOSE Act

The Farm Animal Welfare Coalition (FAWC), of which the American Soybean Association is a member, has written to Congress to express opposition to pending campaign finance legislation, the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175). The legislation is proposed to respond to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, which opened the door to corporations, unions and other groups taking unlimited corporate money and making unlimited political expenditures on political advertising.

Opposition from FAWC has arisen because of an exemption that would allow some large groups that have existed for more than 10 years not to comply with the bill’s transparency and reporting requirements. The exemption was added to placate the National Rifle Association, but it includes a few other groups, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

“HSUS spends well over $100 million annually on ‘attack’ campaigns targeted at legitimate animal use, with a focus on U.S. animal agriculture,” the letter states. “Through its campaign-style activities, HSUS threatens the economic viability of America’s family farms and ranches, the very systems providing safe, wholesome dairy, egg, meat and poultry products for our nation’s and the world’s consumers. On behalf of animal agriculture and the farm and ranch families who are the cornerstone of our nation’s food supply, we urge members of Congress to reject HR 5175.”