Iowa’s animal welfare laws are sorely lacking

Iowa’s animal welfare laws are not only too weak, they often go unenforced.

Fines under the state’s animal neglect law are “small, rare and may go unpaid,” Iowa Capital Dispatch investigative reporter Clark Kauffman recently reported, part of his ongoing coverage of animal welfare issues in Iowa. Over a two-year period, only three of Iowa’s nearly 300 licensed breeders faced fines from state regulators, even though the scope of violations is likely much larger.

Meanwhile, workers and volunteers at animal rescue centers say they regularly encounter animals who clearly have suffered abuse from owners or came from subpar breeding operations, but local authorities sometimes don’t have the interest or resources to investigate.

Just this month, Marion police charged a local woman with animal neglect after they found four dead cats and one severely malnourished cat in an apparently unattended apartment. She faces five misdemeanor charges. There is an ongoing federal case against a Wayne County dog breeder accused of more than 100 animal welfare violations.

Animal welfare advocates have long criticized Iowa’s penalties and enforcement strategy as too lax.

A 2020 law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds made some important changes to the code but did not go far enough. It increased penalties in some cases and redefined offenses to potentially expand their reach, but Iowa remains the only state in the country without the possibility for a felony charge for first-offense animal torture.

More significant updates to the law face political resistance in the Iowa Legislature. The Iowa Department of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing animal welfare in commercial settings such as breeders, but the farm lobby opposes most measures that would strengthen the department’s authority, even if it’s not directed at farm animals.

State Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, this year intervened in a local dog kennel’s case, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. After the kennel was ordered to suspend operations over violations, Smith apparently pulled strings to have the suspension shortened and delayed.

“He was almost acting like he was my lawyer,” kennel operator Robert Burns said, according to Kauffman.

What we have here is an inadequate animal welfare system and the inadequacies are being exploited by bad political actors. It’s time for Iowa to beef up its laws.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com