Castro calls for a ‘pause’ on construction of large-scale livestock confinements

JOHNSTON — Democratic presidential candidate Julian  Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, says there “absolutely” should be some federal regulation of large-scale livestock confinements.

“I’ve heard plenty of community members here in Iowa who have talked about the environmental impact of some of these factory farms,” Castro says. “I know that there’s concern even with whether there should be any factory farms in the future or the ones that do exist should be allowed to expand.”

Castro says there should at least be a moratorium or what he calls a “pause” on new construction of large-scale animal feeding operations. Castro is the first among the Democratic candidates to release a broad plan addressing animal welfare issues. He calls it “PAW — Protecting Animals and Wildlife.”

“We ensure that we’re investing in wildlife preservation, for instance,” Castro says, “that we’re working with communities across the United states to get to ‘no kill’ status in shelters throughout our country.”

Castro is calling for an end to the practice of euthanizing healthy pets if animal shelters grow too crowded. Castro also proposes that animal abuse be a federal crime. Castro spoke about his proposals during this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa Public Television.