At it’s October 31, 2012 meeting, the Executive Committee of the CPWV adopted the following platform position:
We support the responsible and humane use of animals for food, clothing, medical research, companionship, assistance, recreation, entertainment, and education. It is our belief that people who keep, utilize and care for animals have a duty to assure their well-being; providing appropriate housing, nutrition, medical care, humane treatment and handling, and when necessary, humane euthanasia.
The ethical and regulated hunting, trapping, and fishing of abundant species are vital components of wildlife management programs which help sustain and perpetuate healthy populations and natural habitats. While we support the enforcement of state and local laws which maintain ecological conservation, prohibit mistreatment, and provide penalties for animal abuse, we only recognize the authority of similar federal laws on legitimate federal lands. We support laws that punish animal abusers for their misdeeds, and reject legislation that seeks to penalize everyone, responsible animal owners and industries alike, for the misconduct of the few.
We reject the anti-human philosophy of the so-called “animal rights” movement which often places the interests of animals ahead of people, even when human lives are at stake. Furthermore, we reject legal standing for animals, believing that the welfare of animals is best protected by retaining current laws which recognize animals as property. We are committed to preserving the human-animal bond, the special bond that exists when people live and work with animals and believe that campaigns to limit and ultimately abolish this interaction are unnatural, misguided and harmful to both people and animals. The sensational use of media campaigns to promote radical animal policies undermines the democratic process by promoting a misinformed electorate.