Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Agricultural News and Information

Animal Cruelty bill headed to the Governor

JACKSON – A bill that makes aggravated cruelty to a domesticated dog or cat a felony has been approved by both House and Senate conferees and is now on its way to Governor Barbour for his signature.

SB 2821, originally introduced by Sen. Bob Dearing, is the product of a compromise between The Humane Society of the United States and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. These two organizations, originally on opposite sides of the bill, hammered out their differences and agreed to the amended legislation.

“I think this bill addresses the major concerns of both organizations and the people that they represent,” said Randy Knight, president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

“This legislation provides meaningful penalties for the worst cases of animal cruelty,” said Lydia Sattler, The Humane Society of the United States’ Mississippi state director. “We needed a starting point to update animal cruelty laws, and this is a huge step for Mississippi.

If the bill is signed by the Governor, Mississippi will become the 47th state to make aggravated cruelty a felony offense.

 (30)

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is the state's largest general farm organization with more than 197,000 member-families statewide.  There are Farm Bureaus in all 82 counties in Mississippi where agriculture comprises a fundamental part of Mississippi 's economy.  Headquartered in Jackson , the federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural organization and is not associated with any arm of the government.  For more information about Farm Bureau, visit our website at www.msfb.org.