Washington – A cockfighting bill aimed at stemming the spread of bird flu to the U.S. has stalled despite support from the Bush administration and the poultry industry.
The bill targets trade from Southeast Asia, where cockfighting is suspected of spreading bird flu from chickens to humans. The measure would increase penalties for transporting fighting birds across state lines and from other countries.
But the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has not brought the bill to a vote. It has passed the Senate.
Cockfighting is banned in every state except Louisiana and New Mexico.
“That’s a bit of a stretch to say that the animal-fighting bill should be an important part of any avian-flu efforts,” said Jeff Lungren, spokesman for Judiciary Committee chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
Issues such as the Patriot Act and immigration have kept the committee busy, Lungren said.
Agriculture Department officials have tried to make the case that the bill would help keep bird flu from reaching the U.S.
Last year, then-Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the bill would enhance the department’s ability to protect U.S. poultry against avian flu and other diseases.
Her successor, Mike Johanns, expressed support for the bill during his confirmation hearings. He told Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., that it would help deter cockfighting, which “could play a role in the introduction and spread of exotic poultry diseases.”
Johanns also said the bill made sense from an “animal-welfare standpoint.”
President Bush has made the fight against bird flu a priority, asking Congress for $7.1 billion to help the country prepare for a possible pandemic.
Cockfighting pits two roosters sporting steel blades on their legs. During a typical tournament, one-third to one-half of the birds die; many endure broken wings, punctured lungs and gouged eyes.
Cockfighting is popular in parts of the South, where spectators often gamble on the outcome. In states where the sport is illegal, it’s conducted underground.
Last year in Thailand, an 18- year-old man who raised fighting cocks died from avian flu. Health authorities said he would suck mucus and blood from injured birds’ beaks, a practice not uncommon in that region.
