America's farmers who rely on animals for food production know that healthy, well-cared-for animals mean healthy, safe food for Americans and their families. America’s farmers and ranchers take all possible steps to ensure that animals are well cared for seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.  As farmers and ranchers, we recognize that superior animal welfare practices lead to the production of high-quality, safe and wholesome products, and we’re constantly seeking ways to improve the well-being and comfort of our animals. Simply put, without healthy and content animals, farmers and ranchers would not be in business.

Neither our nation' s laws nor industry standards allow the inhumane treatment of farm animals at the farm or during shipment. Quality Assurance programs at the national and state levels provide farmers and ranchers with guidelines for the production of safe, wholesome animals, including recommendations on necessary animal handling and facilities. Those standards are based on the expertise of veterinarians, farmers, ranchers and animal scientists -- the people who work with farm animals daily.

Some recent claims of mistreatment of animals have been valid, some have not, but if any subsequent investigation by legal authorities shows that our tough industry standards were not followed, or that laws were broken, those who were knowingly responsible for marketing unacceptable animals or any mistreatment of those animals must be held fully accountable.