Carolyn Borkowski | Support HB1013

I respectfully support HB 1013. This bill addresses a practice that places unnecessary stress and risk on animals for the sake of entertainment. Releasing piglets into an enclosure, chasing them, forcibly restraining them, and confining them in bags goes beyond education or husbandry and crosses into avoidable cruelty, regardless of whether rules or supervision are present. Tradition alone is not a sufficient justification for practices that no longer align with modern standards of animal welfare. Agricultural education does not require fear-based games that rely on pursuit, restraint, and distress of animals, particularly when children are involved. HB 1013 is narrowly focused, reasonable in scope, and clearly defined. It does not interfere with legitimate farming, animal care, or youth agricultural programs. It simply prohibits a specific activity whose primary purpose is entertainment that relies on the pursuit, restraint, and distress of an animal. For these reasons, HB 1013 deserves the committee’s support.