Funding WVSNP costs less than using tax dollars to kill dogs and cats!
Needs extended beyond 2027 by the legislature to forever!
Background on the WVSNP Funding:
The Pet food funding bill was HB 2552 (11 sponsors) and it passed the WV State legislature in 2017. It had overwhelming bi-partisan support with only 17 nays in entire legislature. We had asked for $900,000 but the amount was cut in half while the bill was still in committee and a sunset was added to the bill for a 10- year period thru 2027. This pet food registration fee generates approx. $450,000 per year through the WV Dept. of Ag. In 2023, a private foundation added $1,350,000 yearly for spay neuter in our state for a period of 3 years through 2025. This has achieved the goal of fulling funding the program for the first time since it began in 2018.
To date, more than70,000 dogs and cats have been altered throughout our state with this grant funding.
There are 5 states with this type of funding. Maine, Maryland, WV, New Mexico and Delaware.
Pet food sales nationwide 2023 $64 billion. Pet food sales 2023 WV $358 million
Calculating WV Pet food sales……not an exact science but as good as it can be.
64.4 billion Pet food sales 2023 divided by 86 million US Households (66% of US total households of 131 million = $744 per US Household spent. I took rounded figures 64 billion divided by 86 million and got $744 on pet food per household.
US census 2020 has 131 million US Households
1,754,416 2024 WV Population estimate with 2.43 per household =731,007 households (482,464 = 66% pet owning households)
$358 million in WV pet food sales.
Now surely our mere $450,000 is a drop in the bucket to these numbers.