Peters Urges Agriculture Committee to Include His Bipartisan AFTER Act in Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) urged his colleagues on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee to include his Animal Freedom from Testing, Experimentation, and Research (AFTER) Act in the Senate version of the 2026 Farm Bill. Senator Peters introduced the A FTER Act to ensure that federal agencies that use animals for research have policies in place to facilitate the safe relocation of retired, healthy lab animals to adoptive homes, animal rescues, or reputable sanctuaries. In the letter, Peters emphasized that many of the approximately 40,000 animals used for research across 12 federal agencies each year are suitable for adoption, and that these healthy animals should not be euthanized by the government. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that the highest standards of humane animal care and treatment are upheld in taxpayer-funded research. “In fiscal year 2024, the federal government experimented on approximately 40,000 regulated animals for research purposes across twelve federal agencies,” Peters wrote. “The Animal Freedom from Testing, Experimentation, and Research (AFTER) Act is simple: it makes retirement and adoption an option for healthy laboratory animals.” “Animals that are suitable for adoption or retirement should not be killed by our federal government. Including the AFTER Act in the Senate Farm Bill would provide the necessary direction for federal agencies to move forward with developing retirement policies, ensuring that federal research upholds the highest standards of humane care and treatment and helping to prevent the needless euthanasia of healthy animals. We respectfully request that this widely supported reform be included in the Senate Farm Bill and retained in the final, bicameral package,” Peters continued. Peters introduced the AFTER Act with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). The legislation requires that animals be evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and pronounced both mentally and physically healthy before leaving an agency, helping to ensure a smooth transition to a new environment. The bill also encourages federal agencies to work with nonprofit organizations to help place retired animals in sanctuaries and shelters across the country. This legislation has been endorsed by the Humane World Action Fund, White Coat Waste, and the Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary. Click here for the full text of the letter. Peters has long made animal protection a priority. Peters authored the Planning for Animal Wellness Act which was passed by Congress and signed into law. This law helps protect pets and other animals during and in the aftermath of natural disasters by requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish an advisory group to offer guidance regarding animal protection in federal disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. ###