7 U.S.C. § 1901
Section 1901 · Findings and declaration of policy
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 12 court decisions — leading case American Horse Protection Ass'n v. United States Department of Interior (1977)
Most recently applied in Fabrizius v. United States Department of Agriculture (February 2025)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
The Congress finds that the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock prevents needless suffering; results in safer and better working conditions for persons engaged in the slaughtering industry; brings about improvement of products and economies in slaughtering operations; and produces other benefits for producers, processors, and consumers which tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock and livestock products in interstate and foreign commerce. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Short Title of 1978 Amendment
For citation of Pub. L. 95–445, Oct. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 1069, as the “Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978”, see Short Title of 1978 Amendment note set out under section 601 of Title 21, Food and Drugs.