NAIA SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF GREYHOUND RACING

The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA), a leading advocate for animals and responsible animal users, has submitted written testimony in support of greyhound racing to the New Hampshire legislative committee that is considering a bill to ban the sport.

 On February 10, New Hampshire legislators received  testimony from NAIA founder Patti Strand urging rejection of HB 630,an animal rights-driven bill to ban greyhound racing in the state.  Although Strand was unable to attend the hearing, her comments were submitted in writing to committee members.

"Part of our mission is to counter the misinformation from radicals in the animal rights movement wherever and whenever we encounter it, including state legislatures," Strand said in her written statement.  "That’s why we are submitting this testimony today."

Strand, whose organization has fought animal rights extremism for nearly two decades, advised legislators that the Grey2K campaign, like other animal rights initiatives, is not really about animal welfare at all.

"It’s about an agenda that would eventually deny our right as consumers to eat meat, drink milk, wear leather or fur, breed pets, hunt and fish, and even benefit from biomedical research," she said.

Understanding the difference between animal welfare and animal rights is vital for public policy makers, Strand explained.

"The animal welfare view is that it is ethically acceptable to make use of animals as long as we do so responsibly and humanely," she said.  "The animal rights view holds that animals are not ours to eat, wear or experiment on."

Strand noted that Grey2K has produced no compelling evidence that New Hampshire racing greyhounds do not receive proper care.  Since the group has called for no greyhound welfare reforms or regulatory changes, their agenda is clearly political warfare over greyhound welfare, she concluded.

More information about the National Animal Interest Alliance can be found at www.naiaonline.org.