I will be speaking at the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Farm Animal Welfare Symposium titled “Why Isn’t Good Care Enough?” in Syracuse on April 7, 2011. The event is closed to NYFB members only. Kay Johnson Smith, the Executive Vice President of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers on the panel include Steve Kopperud …
Lots of Upcoming Events on the Horizon. . .
I’m very excited for a busy winter with agriculture conferences and events. I love being a New Yorker and living in NYC but it is always nice to get a break from the hustle and bustle and be around others that share my passions and interests. Here are a few agriculture events coming up that I will be attending: 1. …
Animal Law News
I was reviewing the November Update from the New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) Committee on Animals and the Law today and thought there were a few posts that I wanted to mention. 1. This article illustrates some cases in New York that would fall under felony animal cruelty (a.k.a. “Buster’s Law”). 2. Though I do not recommend that people …
Completed the Beef Quality Assurance Producer Certification Manual
As I noted in this blog a few months ago, I am currently completing the Beef Quality Assurance (“BQA”) training through the New York Beef Industry Council, Inc. Last weekend, I have reviewed the Producer Certification Manual for the Mid-Atlantic region (which includes Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Maine, New Jersey and Vermont). After reviewing the materials, I …
Celebrating One Year of Blogging About Food and Agriculture Law
I want to give a big thank you to all of my readers out there. I have had a great time blogging over the last year about food and agriculture law issues on this blog. I am excited to implement video blogs and guest blogs in the next year. In case you missed them, here were some of my favorite …
New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP): Cattle Welfare Program
I first heard about the New York State Health Assurance Program (“NYSCHAP”) last January at the New York Beef Producers’ Assocation (“NYBPA”) annual meeting in Syracuse. After an inquiry about the program from a New York cattle producer, I had Kathy Finnerty, the program’s coordinator, send me informational materials about NYSCHAP. As I said in this article, I recommend that cattle producers …
Investigations By Non-Police Officers for Animal Abuse: Has Your Livestock Operation Developed a Plan?
Over the last six months, I have been blogging a lot about livestock animal welfare issues. Last month, I wrote this blog that contained a checklist for New York livestock producers when they are confronted by a peace officer that wants to investigate their property for animal abuse. Today I posted this article on JD Supra that describes in more …
Livestock Animal Cruelty Laws in Connecticut
Over the last month or two, I have been blogging about livestock animal cruelty laws in New York. However, Connecticut has a similar statute that proscribes the neglect of livestock animals. Pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-247(a), livestock producers in Connecticut can be prosecuted for the failure to provide necessary food, water, shelter and veterinary care. Thus far, horse …
Livestock Animal Cruelty Law Article
I recently wrote a livestock animal cruelty article addressing farm animal welfare issues in New York. The article discusses five defensive moves that New York livestock producers should make to help prevent criminal prosecution. Though the article is state specific, the article is informative to livestock producers all over the country. If you would like specific information on livestock animal …
Part II: Debrief from NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
At the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) farm animal welfare conference, Mr. McNally and myself had the opportunity to address farm animal cruelty laws here in New York. I discussed the laws from a defense standpoint while Mr. McNally was knowledgeable from the prosecution side. My outline that was provided to conference attendees is available on JD Supra here. As …
Part I: Debrief From NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
If you have been following my blog then you know that last Thursday I was a panelist for the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) farm animal welfare conference in Albany titled “What Every Livestock Owner Needs to Know . . . A Positive Approach.” There was a great crew of speakers for the event including Patrick Hooker, the New York …
Transporting New York Livestock for More Than 28 Hours Without Rest
It is a crime in New York to transport animals for more than 28 consecutive hours without 5 hours of rest along with available food and water. See N.Y. Agric. & Mkts Law § 359. If the owner or person in charge of the shipment provides written consent, then the livestock can be transported no more than 36 consecutive hours. …