If the federally proposed PURR Act bill passes, it could eliminate our WVSNP funding forever! This would be catastrophic for our WVSNP program. Yes, our WVSNP funding bill sunsets in 2027 if not renewed but if this federal bill passes, then the program funding could still end. Read on to see how you can help. Be informed. Try reading the following article……………
Christy Desanctis is an Assoc. Prof. of Law at the Univ. of New Mexico. She has shared this article just written. Just so you know 5 states use the Pet food registration as a funding source for spay neuter programs. Maine, Maryland, WV, New Mexico and Delaware.
WV, FOHO, WVSNP are mentioned several times throughout this article which is entitled…..
Fixing Shelter Overpopulation: Using Pet Food Registration Fees to Fund Statewide, Low Cost Spay Neuter Programs.
Christy has gotten information from a lot of sources and has been writing this article for some time now. FOHO WV was introduced to her some time ago and she has been following our progress along with Maryland and the other states. Why is she doing this? She is trying to make the case for NM to get their program going since it has been bogged down in court. It is a very comprehensive article on this topic. (51 pages) Reading thru it, there are references to us primarily on pgs. 17 -21, 26, 35, 41 and 49. There are other references since there are only 5 states using this type of funding but listed are the main areas. She also does an excellent analysis of the PURR Act (federal bill) which offers some hope that our state funding could remain.
More on the federal bill. Something nefarious is going on with the (PFI) Pet food Industry. They have submitted HR 7380 bill to Congress which could remove the state from regulating pet food. That could result in the ELIMINATION of the WVSNP grant funding FOREVER! Plus, it could remove an important level of oversight for pet food safety across the nation. It is ludicrously and ironically called The ‘PURR Act.” You need to let your congressional reps know you do not support this. First, because it endangers an existing level of safety checks for Pet Food and second because a portion of that funding coming into the WV Dept. of Agric. is what is being used for the current spay neuter grant program in our state which has altered more than 70,000 dogs and cats from 2018-2023 in 54 of 55 counties.
FOHO WV is researching and will be posting more information here as we obtain it. There is an excellent article below that thoroughly explains the pet safety issue at stake. Plus there are other articles which help to inform you. Read and learn about this. It affects your getting another WVSNP grant.
We have included the bill here. What is worrisome is that it sounds good if you are reading it and do not know that the FDA already works with the states in inspecting pet food. This could eliminate the state level of inspection. Nothing about this is good for your pet! The PFI is doing this because 5 states, ME, MD, WV, NM and DE have the same registration fee we have imposed at the state level which are used for spay neuter. Come on folks, over $150 million in pet food was sold in WV in 2023 and we are taking $450,000 of it. And the APPA (American Pet Products Assoc) projects $66 Billion in Pet food and treat sales in 2024! Why not jump on board PFI and help to alleviate the pet overpopulation across America and WV. Have a stamp on Pet food bags in those states proudly proclaiming we contribute to controlling pet overpopulation!
*How did we calculate this? $321 low average petfood spent yearly per pet owning household X WV Pet Owning Households = $153 million in total WV Pet Food Sales in 2023. This is a low estimate considering how much many spend on pet food yearly.
Go to Congress and email your reps. /easy to do and tell them how important our spay neuter funding is and how HR 7380 could remove our funding.
Excellent video from Wheeling news station WTRF on FOHO’s opposition to the PURR act
Below are links to informative articles to learn more about this. From Susan Thixton’s ‘The Truth about Pet Food’ with a thorough explanation showing the real concern on the safety of our pet food to the position of the AACFO & NASDA.
https://truthaboutpetfood.com/the-purr-act-will-leave-pet-owners-purrterbed/
More information on opposing HR 7380. This next article further explains the results of the bill.
- Detach pet food from state oversight. ( FOHO note* This is where our grant money is at the state level registration in West Virginia)
- Detach pet food from FSMA.
- End AAFCO’s role in the pet food ingredient approval process.
- Subject the pet food industry to federal regulations only. (FOHO note* Why remove an critical layer of pet food inspection by removing the state?)
Read more about it here: https://www.poisonedpets.com/pet-food-institute-dangerous-plan-overhaul-pet-food-regulations/
PFI’s proposal for a new federal regulatory system is not as simple as it may appear. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), an independent organization guiding state and federal feed regulators, believes a federally regulated approach is not in the best interest of pets or pet owners. AAFCO predicts that a federal-led system will significantly decrease the number of qualified inspectors in the marketplace and reduce the regulatory oversight of pet food and pet food ingredients. In addition, prohibiting state-led inspections at manufacturing facilities across the country would eliminate the routine collection of tens of thousands of samples for potential contaminants or adulterants, which may dangerously impact animal health and reduce consumer confidence in the marketplace. AAFCO
The Association of American Feed Control Officials is an affiliate of NASDA. (National Assoc. of State Depts. of Agric.) Read more on their position:
https://www.aafco.org/news/federalized-regulatory-system-for-pet-food/
Then we have the AAFCO opposing it again in this May 8, 2024 article.
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/20857-opinion-a-different-perspective-on-the-purr-act
Quoting this article – this Bill, in its current state, is an attempt to neuter the authority of state feed regulatory programs and prevent them from being the first line of defense to protect consumers against false and misleading marketing claims.
The Bill contains a preemption clause that declares that, “No State or a political subdivision of a state may directly or indirectly establish, maintain, implement, or enforce any authority or requirement relating to the marketing or labeling of pet food.”
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) oppose
PURR Acthttps://www.nasda.org/nasda-adopts-policy-in-support-of-federal-pet-food-label-and-opposes-purr-act/
Below are several articles supporting the pet food industry bill and their spin on how good this bill would be for regulating pet food. It is their intent with this bill to knock the states out of the regulation of pet food and eliminate money coming to the state and to our grant funding.
https://www.petfoodindustry.com/safety-quality/pet-food-regulations/news/15664812/new-federal-purr-act-to-modernize-pet-food-regulations
https://www.cov.com/en/news-and-insights/insights/2024/02/hr-7380-the-pet-food-uniform-regulatory-reform-act-of-2024-purr-act-of-2024-introduced-in-the-house This article looks like it is coming from the law firm of the PFI and supporting the bill too.
https://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=407517 One of the bill’s sponsors. Always prudent to find out what the opposition is saying so we know how to counter it.
https://www.fda.gov/safety/report-problem-fda/consumer-complaint-coordinators Consider this that when you make a complaint to the FDA there is not a single person in every state, they have regions. Can you imagine how cumbersome this could be to get action on an issue with your pet food? At the present time, you can use this route but you have an additional route through the WV Dept. of Agriculture too. Why go backwards on this issue and have less protection for your pet?