A lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the US (HSUS) against the
Agriculture Department has argued that the USDA had misinterpreted the
50-year-old Act, reports Cattle Network.
"The court finds the legislative history strongly demonstrates unambiguous
congressional intent that livestock, as used in the HMSA, does not include
poultry," US District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel reportedly wrote in her
opinion.
Judge Patel granted summary judgment in USDA's favour and dismissed the
lawsuit.
HSUS's argument was based on a 1958 dictionary definition of livestock that
said that the word encompassed "useful" animals on a farm, while USDA said that
the term has always internally meant to exclude poultry.
"The plain language of these bills indicates that Congress intended to
exclude poultry from the definition of livestock when it enacted H.R. 8308, the
bill that eventually became the HMSA," Patel wrote.
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