By MELISSA ROSSMAN Associated PressThe animals are singing and laughing, and some are even taking photos with the president.
In an unusual move for a federal agency, the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced Monday that it will allow companies to sell their products through a new online marketplace, a move that may help reduce the number of animals affected by the administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.
The move, which was hailed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society of the U, and others, could allow companies selling meat and poultry products made with animals to sell to Americans directly instead of through the United Nations-sponsored program.
But some animal rights activists have questioned whether the decision will actually help reduce suffering in the supply chain, as some consumers will no longer have to worry about purchasing the product from a factory in China, or potentially buying from a slaughterhouse.
The agency did not immediately respond to questions about whether it plans to increase oversight or regulations of these products.
The Trump administration’s move to pull out of the Paris accord, which is aimed at limiting global warming, has led to some animal-rights activists calling for the agency to expand the protections of animals.
The U.N. climate talks are in their second round.
A few days after Trump took office in January, the U of S withdrew from the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that the U