National Animal Interest Alliance

The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) is an non-profit organization which opposes several positions taken by animal rights organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals. NAIA states that it is dedicated to promoting animal welfare and animal husbandry practices, strengthening the human-animal bond, and safeguarding the rights of responsible animal owners and professionals through research, public education and advocacy of public policy. The NAIA mission is "to promote the welfare of animals."^[1]

History

NAIA was founded in 1991 in Portland, Oregon by Dr. Adrian Morrison, DVM, PhD and Patti Strand.^[2]

Since the founding of NAIA, individuals and groups promoting animal welfare and animal husbandry have participated in the alliance, along with groups such as the American Kennel Club, Canine Companions for Independence, and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and others.^[3]

Positions

NAIA supports the responsible and humane use of animals for food, clothing, medical research, companionship, assistance, recreation, entertainment and education.^[4]

Pets

In 2001, the NAIA opposed the Puppy Protection Act (S. 1478 and H.R. 3058) which would purportedly have added protections to the Animal Welfare Act to improve conditions for animals living in laboratories, puppy mills and pet stores. NAIA stated that the measure would be used to regulate every person who sells even one litter of puppies.^[5]

In 2007, Mark Cushing, a legal advisor for NAIA, argued on their behalf that damages for loss or harm to pets should remain unchanged. This position is also endorsed by the major veterinary organizations. This position was in response to recent efforts to increase damages for the harm or loss of pets.^[6]

NAIA states that campaigns to end pet overpopulation have been so successful that a shortage of pets exists that is being filled by smuggling dogs into the United States which puts Americans and dogs in peril.^[7] The Humane Society of the United States reports that about 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized yearly in shelters in the US.^[8] While the Humane Society of the United States reports on the number of cats and dogs euthanized yearly in shelters, there is no differentiation between the number of adoptable animals versus the number of feral cats, which are considered unadoptable, and the number of dogs that are old, sick or have behavior problems.^{[citation needed]}

NAIA is opposed to mandatory pet spay/neuter legislation. According to NAIA, costs and euthanasia rates both increase after the introduction of this type of legislation.^[9] NAIA terms these programs coercive and states that ’spay or pay’ licensing schemes [have] little effect on reducing shelter intake and euthanasia rates while producing serious unintended consequences.”^[10] Animal rights group PETA disputes this stating that spay/neuter is the only way to eliminate pet overpopulation and that mandatory spay/neuter legislation is a step towards this goal.^[11]

NAIA is in favor of the commercial slaughter of horses, stating that thousands of horses who would have been slaughtered and processed for food when this was allowed are now neglected and in poor health.^[12] The Humane Society of Missouri and other animal welfare organizations claim that there has been no increase in abandoned or unwanted horses since the federal ban in 2005.^[13] While various humane organizations may claim that there is no problem of abandoned or unwanted horses since the ban, the news media and official sources indicate that many horses are now being transported on long rides to Canada and to Mexico, where they are slaughtered in a manner far less humane than that used in the US. ^[14]

NAIA opposes laws restricting the practices of ear cropping, tail docking, debarking of dogs, and removing the claws of cats. Their opposition is based largely on what they believe to be activist campaigns to unnecessarily restrict the rights of animal owners and to remove these decisions from the owner and their veterinarian. NAIA states that these procedures, when properly done, do not cause pain; or that the animal is too young to have a developed nervous system.^[15] All of these practices are banned in the UK^[16] and more than 20 countries ban declawing as extremely inhumane.^[17] Tail docking and ear cropping are also banned in many jurisdictions.

The American Kennel Club lists NAIA as an allied group and the state AKC contact for Oregon concerning legislation regarding dog fancy. They indicate that NAIA is “interested in protecting and promoting the world of purebred dogs”.^[18] NAIA founder Patti Strand is a member of the board of directors of the AKC.^[19]

Industrialized farming

The NAIA lobbied against California Proposition 2, passed in November 2008, which was heavily promoted by the Humane Society of the United States.^[20] Proposition 2 prohibits the confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs. The measure deals with three types of confinement: veal crates, battery cages, and sow gestation crates. As a result of the passage of Proposition 2, many of the egg producing poultry facilities are moving out of state.^{[citation needed]}

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

NAIA lobbied for passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) because it offers protection for all animal businesses, which are presently being targeted by animal rights radicals. NAIA stated that radical environmental and animal rights groups dominate the mainstream animal welfare movement. NAIA stated that these groups used “violence, intimidation, arson, theft, and other crimes against biomedical researchers, furriers, hunters, trappers, dog and cat breeders, livestock farmers, zoos, circuses, rodeos, exotic animal breeders, and related enterprises.” These are the actions of radical animal rights activists which have been often reported by the news media.^[21]

Since 2001, NAIA has unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the non-profit status of animal rights groups, notably People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, stating that these groups “use intimidation, harassment and deception to raise money.” ^[22]

Funding

NAIA receives its primary financial support from donations from individuals, the majority of whom are pet owners who support the goals of NAIA, related businesses and associations in farm animal agribusiness, commercial breeding, hunting, fishing, trapping, fur ranching, animal research, rodeos and circuses. In other words, all the traditional animal interests.

References

1. ^ http://www.naiaonline.org/about/mission.htm
2. ^ University of Pennsylvania - Adrian Morrison
3. ^ http://www.naiaonline.org/about/board.htm
4. ^ "MORE ABOUT NAIA". http://naiaonline.org/about/More_about_NAIA.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
5. ^ "LETTERS NEEDED IN OPPOSITION TO THE 'PUPPY PROTECTION ACT'". http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/puppy_alert.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
6. ^ "The Debate over Advancing Civil Damages for Pets". http://lawlib.lclark.edu/podcast/?p=400. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
7. ^ "Group Urges Strengthening of Pet Import Regulation to Alleviate Dog Smuggling". April 7, 2008. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april072008/pet_rx-4-7-08.php. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
8. ^ "Pet Overpopulation". http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
9. ^ "BILL SUMMARY: Dogs and Cats: Spaying and Neutering". May 5, 2009. http://www.cfainc.org/exhibitors/CA-SB250-bill-analysis.pdf. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
10. ^ "MANDATORY SPAY/NEUTER LAWS - A MISGUIDED APPROACH TO STABILIZING PET POPULATION". http://www.naiaonline.org/issues/Mandatory_Spay_Neuter.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
11. ^ "Introducing PETA's ABC Campaign". http://www.peta.org/feat-abc_campaign.asp. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
12. ^ Cindy Schonholtz, NAIA Director (October 12, 2007). "ANIMAL RIGHTS WIN, HORSES LOSE!". http://www.naiaonline.org/library/Animal_Rights_Win_Horses_Lose.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
13. ^ Winter, Michael (Mar 10, 2010). "Mo. lawmaker wants to revive U.S. horse slaughter for food". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/mo-lawmaker-wants-to-revive-us-horse-slaughter-for-food-/1. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
14. ^ http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-228
15. ^ "NAIA POSITION STATEMENT: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PRACTICES". http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/policy_husbandry.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
16. ^ "Animal Welfare Charter". Hastings Borough Council. http://www.hastings.gov.uk/animal_welfare/. Retrieved 2008-07-20. "It is now illegal for ear cropping and debarking of dogs as well as the declawing of cats to take place." 
17. ^ "Declawing.com". http://www.declawing.com/htmls/outlawed.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
18. ^ "Federations of AKC Dog Clubs and Other Allied Groups". http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/federations.cfm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
19. ^ "AKC Board of Directors". http://www.akc.org/about/board_of_directors.cfm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
20. ^ "JOIN NAIA AND NAIA TRUST IN OPPOSING CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 2!". http://web.archive.org/web/20090512144805/http://www.naiaonline.org/NAIA_opposes_prop2.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
21. ^ "ACTION ALERT: ANTI TERRORISM BILL". http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/actionrequest.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
22. ^ "NAIA Calls on President Bush to Act Against Animal Rights' Extremists". JUNE 1, 2001. http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsF02z.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 

External links

• Official website
• "National Animal Interest Alliance". SourceWatch.org. 24 October 2009. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Animal_Interest_Alliance. Retrieved 2009-11-01.