Anti-Hunting Language in the Farm Bill Threatens UKC Events and Sporting Dog Owners
The Farm Bill (a vital piece of U.S. legislation, typically focused on agricultural policy, food programs, and rural development), recently saw an amendment (House Resolution 5017 a.k.a The Greyhound Protection Act of 2025), pushed through by animal rights lobbyists. H.R. 5017 states its purpose is, To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit commercial greyhound racing, live lure training, and open field coursing, and for other purposes, and Section 30.a.3 asks Congress to make it unlawful to, conduct open field coursing or live lure training with the use of any bait that is not an inanimate object. While its sponsors and supporters claim The Greyhound Protection Act to be focused on eliminating commercial greyhound racing, its provisions contain broad, ambiguous language that would ban the use of sighthounds for hunting altogether along with prohibiting the use of live lures and open field coursing.
Without specific definitions and clear exemptions, courts could easily interpret and Congress could further amend these provisions to prohibit all dog owners from using live lures such as wild game birds and furbearers, and other wild and farm-raised animals for training, testing, trialing, and competing with their sporting dogs. Open field coursing would become open to interpretation which may prohibit coursing performance sports such as lure, precision, DASH, and other coursing events in our All-Breed Sports program.
For more than a century, the United Kennel Club (UKC) has supported the responsible use of purpose-bred dogs in performance events where the safe and sustainable, non-lethal use of wild game has long been the accepted standard. Beagle competitions, retriever hunt tests, pointing dog field trials, and coonhound Nite Hunts remain a pillar of our legacy, and these activities are not only central to hunting heritage in the United States, but are also essential to maintaining the performance standards and natural instincts of working dogs.
Responsible hunters provide meaningful contributions to conservation and wildlife management, and this amendment and its supporters fail to recognize the vital role sporting dog owners play in resource stewardship. Policies that inadvertently limit the ability to train and work dogs in real-world conditions threaten not only hunters rights, but also the future of working dog programs and the communities that support them.
Equally concerning is the manner in which this legislative effort has advanced, with significant implications for sportsmen and dog owners receiving limited transparency and incomplete opportunities for public input. Legislation affecting such deeply rooted practices must be carefully considered, narrowly tailored, and informed by those with direct expertise.
As the worlds leading all-breed sporting dog registry, UKC strongly opposes the aforementioned language in this particular amendment to the Farm Bill. We urge lawmakers to reject the provisions of H.R. 5017 that threaten working dog heritage and fail to acknowledge the role of sportsmen in conservation. UKC customers and constituents are urged to protect their rights and share their opposition by encouraging their Senators and Representatives to remove the anti-hunting language from the Farm Bill, along with spreading the word to their families, friends, and fellow sporting enthusiasts.
UKC has partnered with our friends at the Sportsmens Alliance (Americas leading authority in legislative advocacy and legal protection of hunting, fishing, and trapping traditions), to make it easy to connect directly with your lawmakers. Share your concern using the pre-populated and customizable forms through the links below and encourage your Senators and House Representatives to remove the harmful anti-hunting language from the Farm Bill.
Click to Email Your House Representatives Now!
Guided by the belief that dogs make a difference by being the best partner a human can have in the field, on the job, or in a competition event, UKC is a community for people and dogs to pursue excellence together. Founded in 1898, UKC has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of Dogs That Do More, and their owners, by providing essential resources to help owners and breeders make informed decisions. The dog-human bond is celebrated through family-friendly programs highlighting the instincts and heritage of purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike at over 18,000 licensed events annually.