Note: If The PURR Act bill passes, it will eliminate our WVSNP funding forever! This is 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 ends. Read on to see how you can help. You must take action.
Something nefarious is going on with the (PFI) Pet food Industry. They have submitted HR 7380 bill to Congress which would remove the state from regulating pet food. That would result in the ELIMINATION of the WVSNP grant funding FOREVER! Plus, it would 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 removes 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. This is bad news! 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 would 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, approx. *$156 million in pet food was sold in WV in 2023 and we are taking $500,000 of it. And the APPA (American Pet Products Assoc) projects $63 Billion in Pet food and treat sales in 2023! 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 petfood spent yearly per household X 488,380 WV Pet Owning Households = $156 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 to oppose HR 7380
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.
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/
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?