H.R.5017 alert: Animal-rights extremists sneak hunting ban into farm bill
The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation considered by the Congress. It contains funding and sets policy on items ranging from conservation programs valued by American sportsmen to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits that help feed low-income families.
How H.R.5017 was inserted into this bill
Unfortunately, due to significant pressure from the animal-rights lobby, the Farm Bill just approved by the House Committee on Agriculture also includes a hunting ban. Committee Democrats teamed up with a handful of Republican legislators to amend the Farm Bill by inserting House Bill 5017, the Greyhound Protection Act of 2025 — a bill that had no chance of advancing on its own.
Does the Greyhound Protection Act ban hunting dogs?
H.R.5017 would ban certain types of hounds in hunting, as well as the use of “live lures” for training or field trials. While H.R.5017 was completely portrayed by the sponsor and supporters as only focused on ending commercial greyhound racing, the language is much more broadly written and would ban the use of sight hounds in hunting. Additionally, the language included in H.R.5017 could go so far to impact anyone that hunts with bird dogs or scent hounds by banning the use of live animals in dog training. Amendment supporters never told committee members of the broader impacts of the bill.
Lack of public debate on anti-hunting language
Animal-rights extremists, with the help of members of the House Agriculture Committee, inserted the controversial language into the Farm Bill by voice vote, despite concerns expressed by Committee Chairman GT Thompson, with no public debate or an opportunity for American hunters or houndsmen to be heard in the process. The extremists know the public is counting on passage of the Farm Bill, so they are hoping Congress will allow the anti-hunting language to remain in the bill rather than derail the huge and vital legislation.
Path forward: House Rules Committee and Senate
All is not final, however. The Farm Bill will now head to the House Rules Committee, before being voted on by the full House of Representatives. Should the hunt ban remain in the House-passed version of the Farm Bill, the U.S. Senate will craft its own version of the Farm Bill. Sportsmen now have the opportunity to weigh in with their own U.S. Senators to ask for help now that the sneak attack on hunters has been made public.
Taking action: How to stop the hunting ban
The Sportsmen’s Alliance is calling on its members and all who hunt, hunt test, and field trial with dogs to take two steps:
- Contact your U.S. House Representative and ask them to strip the anti-hunting language from the Farm Bill. Take Action here!
- Contact both of your U.S. Senators and ask them to prevent the hunting ban from being included in the Senate version of the Farm Bill.
Defending conservation and sportsmen’s rights
This sneak attack on the Farm Bill by fringe radical activists isn’t just aimed at greyhound racing, but all hunters who use dogs. It’s a sneak attack on every American dedicated to conservation and those concerned with feeding our families. It’s the epitome of what’s wrong in Washington today.
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