Roger Dickinson, a member of the California Assembly, introduced legislation February 13 that would ban the sale of animals at swap meets and flea markets in his state. Dickinson’s legislation, AB 339, seeks to prevent the suffering of animals, protect consumers and eliminate the public health and safety risks and potential threats of disease outbreaks associated with such sales.
California law currently bans the sale of live animals on any street, highway, public right-of-way, parking lot, carnival or boardwalk. AB 339 is sponsored by Born Free USA and the State Humane Association of California and is supported by Humane Society of the United States and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The bill has not yet been referred to committee.
“A ban on the sale of animals at flea markets and swap meets dispenses with the time-consuming process of evaluating the welfare of each individual animal for sale,” explains Erica Hughes, executive director at the State Humane Association of California. “This will provide a welcome tool to humane officers and animal control officers working to protect animals and the public.”