More H$U$ Involvement in the USDA

Yesterday morning, this news item passed across my desk as I was drinking my morning coffee...

The USDA Wants Dog Breeder Accreditation  

I just about choked on my coffee and then I remembered...  "Hey! It's April 1....  It's April Fools Day! Surely this is a joke."

Sadly, it isn't a joke.

One would think that the USDA could find something else to whine about, right?  Well, they won't. They won't because the USDA & its APHIS section are populated by animal rights zealots, starting with the head, Tom Vilsack. His wife is a big supporter of HSUS. In addition, there's Sarah Conant, a HSUS litigator who went from her desk at HSUS right to a desk at APHIS, where she heads a newly formed "enforcement" division.

Sarah Conant

An obvious example of the HSUS-USDA connection can be found in the 2012 election. In Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, Steve King was challenged for his seat by Christie Vilsack, wife of Tom Vilsack, Obama’s Secretary of the Dept. of Agriculture. Campaign finance reports show that HSUS invested in Vilsack’s campaign to the tune of $500,000, almost their entire political war chest. Shortly thereafter, Vilsack began to obstruct efforts to resume horse processing, a key HSUS goal.

It doesn't stop there. Conant is the same individual who fined a Missiouri family $90,000 for selling bunnies.

You gotta ask yourself, should the USDA, which is charged with keeping our food supply safe, be hiring and working with HSUS people, who are committed to doing away with ALL animal use, including as food?

To me, that is beyond "conflict of interest".

This quote and other quotes in the article convinces me that H$U$ has its dirty fingers in this proposal,

Dr. Michael J. Blackwell, senior director of veterinary policy for the Humane Society of the United States, said the project could provide better oversight of the dog breeding industry, which he said has an unfortunate number of puppy mills with questionable-to-poor care standards.

“Given that we do still see quite a few puppy mills across the country, it is clear that there needs to be more attention given to ways of providing oversight, and an accreditation process would certainly be one way to do that,” he said.

Dr. Blackwell said it’s likely retailers would pressure breeders to participate in such a program, a result he hopes will come to pass.

“I think the public’s interests will probably drive that support for working only with accredited breeders,” he said.

When an AVMA article quotes an HSUS operative, it's pretty telling as to where this is coming from. And, it will be passed onto anyone who breeds. This will not be "voluntary" as they imply.

Tom Vilsack

Tom Vilsack needs to be removed as the head of the US Dept of Agriculture. He supports HSUS and its anti-animal ag views.  He has even stated that rural America is "Becoming less and less relevant.” Sec. Vilsack – December 2012 Farm Journal Sponsored Forum – Drovers

Secretary Vilsack has publicly stated his support for agreements and cooperation with a radical animal rights group, Humane Society of the US (HSUS) that is seeking to destroy American agriculture. 

“Now I know that there are not too many fans of the Humane Society in this room. But egg producers thought it was in their best interest to avoid fifty different referendums, fifty different sets of rules. So they sat down with folks and they reached common ground. After all, isn’t that what we’re asking our Congress to do? Isn’t that what we’re asking our political leaders to do? To sit down and make common cause? I think the egg producers have the right idea.” – Sec. Vilsack – Ag Wired Article

We need to ask questions and start DEMANDING answers.  

Why was a former HSUS employee hired by Secretary Vilsack to work at USDA?  

Why did HSUS spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in an attempt to get the wife of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture elected to Congress?  

Why is the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture an advocate for an unholy marriage between American animal (food & companion) producers and a radical animal rights group seeking to attack farmers, attack pet breeders, alter our food choices, and restrict our freedoms?

Don't forget "Meatless Monday" at the USDA.

Recommended Reading

A & N Research - Giving You the FACTS!  - Specifically,  USDA APHIS Watch

The Calvary Group, Has HSUS Hijacked the USDA

Protect the Harvest - Should the USDA Be Working with the USDA