Jacob Threadgill

The Clarion-Ledger

With time running out for proposed legislation to strengthen Mississippi’s law on domestic animal cruelty, more than 50 protestors organized outside the state Farm Bureau Federation, which they say is lobbying against the bill.

Senate Bill 2174, which would allow prosecutors to pursue up to 10 counts of cruelty and felony charges on a first offense, has been given “the kiss of death,” by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who assigned it to two committees, said Mississippi Animal Advocacy Group spokeswoman Valerie Rachal.

A Tuesday deadline approaches without the Agriculture Committee even meeting to consider the legislation, Rachal says.

“Ag Committee Chairman Billy Hudson is tired of hearing from his constituents who want a strong cruelty bill. His phone isn’t accepting calls as of the day before yesterday,” Rachal said, noting that she joined the advocacy group after 2011 legislation was watered down after lobbying from the Farm Bureau.

Dead puppies highlight bill fight

Karen Craft, of the Simpson County group Save Our Strays said the 2011 legislation originally mirrored much of what SB2174 proposes. A similar bill filled last year stalled in committee, which heard comments from a Farm Bureau lobbyist.

“(The Farm Bureau) is preaching that it is a slippery slope, that before you know it they’re going to becoming after commercial, agriculture and famers, but this has nothing to with pigs, goats and cows,” Craft said. It is already a felony to abuse farm animals on first offense in Mississippi.

The Farm Bureau would not answer questions on its position when reached by The Clarion-Ledger on Wednesday but provided a statement: “The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is adamantly opposed to the cruelty, abuse, or mistreatment of any animal. … Farm Bureau would like to see the current law enforced to its fullest extent before adding additional laws.”

Doris Campbell has had a policy with Farm Bureau Insurance for years on her family farm in Yazoo County without issue, but she said she was shocked to learn the federation was lobbying against the legislation as it pertains to dogs and cats.

Campbell said she’s tried reaching out through calls, emails and Facebook messages to get an answer to Farm Bureau’s stance on the law but to no avail. She said Farm Bureau’s stance that it would affect the farm industry “doesn’t hold any weight. As a farmer, I don’t abuse my cows. When they go to market, I want to get the best price and put the best food on the table. It makes me mad they won’t answer me.”

One key difference between the current bill sitting before committee and 2011 legislation is that this year's bill would require those convicted of animal abuse against a dog or cat to be submitted into a recently established FBI database that tracks animal abuse, which supporters say can help prevent violence against humans as well.

“What we’re asking for is not farm reform, agricultural reform,” said protester Jennifer Ginn. “There is an abundance of information from the FBI that states the correlation between intentional abuse to cats and dogs leads to the abuse of children, elderly and disabled. ... When the Farm Bureau opposes these laws, then it puts everyone’s family in danger. Today it is a cat or dog, but tomorrow it could be your child.”

The Bureau statement notes that those convicted under current cruelty laws can be ordered to receive psychiatric/psychological treatment, perform community service, and be prohibited from working with dogs and cats.

Jennifer Colvin of Ridgeland stood along Ridgewood Road in Jackson across the street from the Farm Bureau office with her rescue dog, Sugar, and a homemade sign linking early acts of animal cruelty in serial killers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert DeSalvo and Brenda Spencer.

“It was kind of scary making this sign and looking the relationship between animal abuse and human abuse,” Colvin said.

Contact Jacob Threadgill at (601) 961-7192 or jthreadgil@gannett.com. Follow @JacoboLaSombra on Twitter.