Prohibits the operation of establishments where animals and/or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food; establishes a task force on public health risks and animal welfare concerns of slaughterhouses.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2421
SPONSOR: Rosenthal TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to prohib-
iting the operation of establishments where animals and/or fowls are
slaughtered and butchered for food
PURPOSE:
This bill will place a moratorium on the operation of live markets in
New York State and establish a task force to examine the public health
risks and animal welfare concerns they present.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new
section 96.
Section two establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Live markets allow customers to shop directly from cages of live
animals, which are then slaughtered and butchered on site. Inspection
reports and camera footage detail the deplorable conditions found in
these markets, and a lack of regulation and oversight have allowed these
conditions to persist despite the risk to public health. Many zoonotic
diseases, which originate in animals and are then transmitted to people,
such as SARS and H5N1, and most recently, COVID-19, have their origins
in live markets. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic there is a growing
movement among scientists, public health experts and animal welfare
advocates to close the markets worldwide.
Outside of the United States, live markets may sell monkeys, bats,
snakes and other exotic animals. Live markets in the United States,
including the 80+ live markets operating in densely populated residen-
tial areas in New York City, typically sell chickens, ducks, turkeys,
rabbits and other fowl as well as goats, sheep and cows. Regardless of
the species offered, the markets are potential vectors for the spread of
zoonotic disease. The crowding of multiple species, the sourcing of the
animals and the filthy conditions in which they are routinely kept in
and killed all create the opportunity for disease to spread, presenting
the risk of another global pandemic.
Live markets in New York City have been issued a litany of violations by
the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for offenses
including leaving animal blood and feces on public sidewalks, allowing
grime to accumulate on butchering equipment, and other unsanitary condi-
tions. Not only are these conditions cruel to the animals, they are
hazardous to the health of customers who buy their food at these
markets.
This legislation will place a moratorium on the operation of live animal
markets in New York State and convene a task force to examine the public
health risks associated with their use and the animal cruelty concerns
they present.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.959 - Referred to Agriculture; S.4311 - Referred to Agricul-
ture
2021-22: A.3629 - Referred to Agriculture; S.3182 - Referred to Agricul-
ture
2019-20: A.10399 - Referred to Agriculture; S.8291 - Referred to Agri-
culture
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately..
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2421
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, DINOWITZ, EPSTEIN, HEVESI, JACKSON,
STERN, GLICK, SIMONE, BORES, KELLES, DAVILA -- read once and referred
to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to prohib-
iting the operation of establishments where animals and/or fowls are
slaughtered and butchered for food
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds that
2 emergency measures must be enacted to help prevent the spread of zoonot-
3 ic and other infectious diseases. Experts throughout the world have
4 concluded that the COVID-19 crisis is likely attributable to a live
5 animal market. Inspection reports from the department of agriculture
6 and markets indicate ongoing health, safety and welfare problems at New
7 York's markets. Hundreds of thousands of human lives have already been
8 lost and millions of people have been sickened during the COVID-19
9 pandemic. The purpose of this law is to eliminate one potential vector
10 for the transmission of zoonotic diseases, live animal markets, and the
11 suffering it causes therefrom at least until there is further examina-
12 tion by infectious disease experts of the nexus between zoonotic
13 diseases and live animal markets.
14 § 2. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
15 section 96-ee to read as follows:
16 § 96-ee. Prohibition of the operation of establishments where animals
17 and/or fowls are slaughtered for food. 1. Notwithstanding any provision
18 of law to the contrary:
19 (a) the commissioner shall not license any person, firm, partnership
20 or corporation to operate any place or establishment where animals
21 and/or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food;
22 (b) the commissioner shall immediately suspend the license of any
23 person, firm, partnership or corporation that currently holds a license
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05659-01-5
A. 2421 2
1 issued by the commissioner to operate any place or establishment where
2 animals and/or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food; and
3 (c) no person, firm, partnership or corporation that currently holds a
4 license issued by the commissioner to operate any place or establishment
5 where animals and/or fowls are slaughtered or butchered for food shall
6 operate such establishment after the effective date of this section.
7 2. (a) A task force on public health risks and animal welfare concerns
8 of slaughterhouses is hereby established. Such task force shall conduct
9 and complete a thorough examination of facilities heretofore licensed by
10 the department under this article and their effect on public health and
11 safety and animal welfare.
12 (b) Such task force shall consist of seven members, to be appointed as
13 follows: one member to be appointed by the governor; two members to be
14 appointed by the temporary president of the senate; two members to be
15 appointed by the speaker of the assembly; one member to be appointed by
16 the commissioner or such commissioner's designee; and one member to be
17 appointed by the commissioner of health or such commissioner's designee.
18 Appointees shall have expertise in infectious diseases, and, in partic-
19 ular, the potential spread of diseases between animals raised or slaugh-
20 tered for food and humans. At least one such representative shall be
21 from a duly incorporated animal welfare organization, and at least one
22 such representative shall be a licensed veterinarian who is not employed
23 by a government agency.
24 (c) No member, officer or employee of such task force shall be
25 disqualified from holding any other public office or employment, nor
26 shall any such member, officer or employee forfeit any such office or
27 employment by reason of such member's, officer's or employee's appoint-
28 ment pursuant to this section, notwithstanding the provisions of any
29 general, special or local law, ordinance or city charter.
30 (d) The members of such task force shall receive no compensation for
31 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
32 incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this section.
33 (e) Such task force shall make a report of its findings to the gover-
34 nor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the
35 assembly within one year of the date of the first meeting of the task
36 force, which shall take place within thirty days of the appointment of
37 the task force representatives. Such report shall include recommenda-
38 tions for further action and legislation.
39 3. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to any facili-
40 ties other than live poultry or small animal slaughterhouses pursuant to
41 this article which are open to the public.
42 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
