A New Jersey appellate court has upheld livestock humane care guidelines developed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture by rejecting an attempt to block the rules by a coalition of animal rights and food safety groups. The department enacted the rules following a directive from the state Legislature.
The Farm Sanctuary, a half-dozen other animal welfare groups, organic consumers groups and individual farms appealed the regulations, arguing some allowed inhumane practices. They opposed tail docking, gestation stalls, foie gras production, and the slaughter of "downed animals".
The three-judge appellate panel’s unanimous ruling stated that both sides had support for their arguments. "We are obliged to avoid encroaching on the Department’s exercise of its expertise" because of that, the judges concluded.
Source:
Newsday.com, February 16, 2007