Bill Text: NY A00473 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Pertains to confinement of certain animals for food producing purposes; prohibits any person to tether or confine any pig during pregnancy or calf raised for veal for all or the majority of any day in a manner that prevents such animal from lying down, standing up and fully extending its limbs and turning around freely; establishes that commission of such crime shall constitute a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year and/or fine not to exceed $1,000.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to agriculture [A00473 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A00473-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           473

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     January 9, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. L. ROSENTHAL, WEPRIN, THIELE, COLTON -- Multi-
          Sponsored by -- M. of A. FAHY, GLICK, HEVESI, SIMON, SOLAGES, STECK --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture

        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets  law,  in  relation  to  the
          confinement of certain animals for food producing purposes

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a  new
     2  section 353-g to read as follows:
     3    §  353-g.  Confinement of animals for food producing purposes. 1.  For
     4  purposes of this section, the following terms shall have  the  following
     5  meanings:
     6    (a)  "Calf  raised for veal" means any calf of the bovine species kept
     7  for the purpose of producing the food product described as veal.
     8    (b) "Covered animals" means any pig during pregnancy or a calf  raised
     9  for veal.
    10    (c)  "Enclosure"  means any cage, crate, or other structure (including
    11  what is commonly described as a "gestation crate" for pigs  or  a  "veal
    12  crate" for calves, used to confine a covered animal.
    13    (d)  "Farm"  means  the land, buildings, support facilities, and other
    14  equipment  that  are  wholly  or  partially  used  for  the   commercial
    15  production  of  animals  or  animal products used for food or fiber, and
    16  does not include live animal markets.
    17    (e) "Fully extending its limbs" means fully extending all limbs  with-
    18  out touching the side of an enclosure.
    19    (f)  "Person"  means any individual, corporation, partnership, associ-
    20  ation, or other legal entity.
    21    (g) "Pig during pregnancy" means  any  pregnant  pig  of  the  porcine
    22  species kept for the primary purpose of breeding.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00924-01-3
        A. 473                              2

     1    (h) "Turning around freely" means turning in a complete circle without
     2  any  impediment, including a tether, and without touching the side of an
     3  enclosure.
     4    2.  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person to tether or confine any
     5  covered animal, as defined in subdivision one of this section, on a farm
     6  for all or the majority of any day,  in  a  manner  that  prevents  such
     7  animal  from  lying  down, standing up and fully extending its limbs and
     8  turning around freely.
     9    3.  This  section  shall  not  apply  during  the  following  lawfully
    10  performed activities:
    11    (a) Transportation,
    12    (b)  Exhibitions at rodeos, fairs, youth programs, and similar exhibi-
    13  tions,
    14    (c) Slaughtering process,
    15    (d) Scientific or agricultural research,
    16    (e) Examination, testing, individual treatment or operation for veter-
    17  inary purposes,
    18    (f) To a pig during the seven-day period prior to the  pig's  expected
    19  date of giving birth.
    20    4.  A  violation of the provisions of this section is a class A misde-
    21  meanor punishable by imprisonment for a period not to exceed  one  year,
    22  or  by  a  fine not to exceed one thousand dollars, or by both such fine
    23  and imprisonment.
    24    5. Nothing contained in this section shall  prevent  any  town,  city,
    25  village  or  county in New York state from enacting a local law or ordi-
    26  nance to provide for the humane treatment of and prevention  of  cruelty
    27  to farm animals, provided, however, that no such law shall conflict with
    28  the provisions of this section.
    29    6.  Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to reduce the
    30  protection afforded to farm animals under  any  other  section  of  this
    31  article or any other law or regulation. Nothing in this section shall be
    32  construed  to  limit or restrict agents or officers of societies for the
    33  prevention of cruelty to animals or the police from enforcing the  other
    34  provisions  of  this  article or any other law or regulation relating to
    35  the humane treatment of or cruelty to animals.
    36    7. This section shall be enforced by the department, and any agent and
    37  officer of any duly incorporated society for the prevention  of  cruelty
    38  to  animals may issue an appearance ticket pursuant to section 150.20 of
    39  the criminal procedure law, summons or arrest, and bring before a  court
    40  or  magistrate  having jurisdiction, any person offending against any of
    41  the provisions of this section.
    42    § 2. This act shall take effect twenty-four months after it shall have
    43  become a law.