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Humane Society Abandons Tail Docking Proposals

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - Animal rights advocates are ending a campaign to ban the practice of cutting the tails of Colorado dairy cows.

In an announcement Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States said state officials had "misconstrued" the language of the proposals and it was too late to request that the language be changed for this fall's election.

Some dairy farms partially cut or dock the tails of cows to keep manure, mud and other debris off but the industry says the practice is becoming rarer.

The Humane Society's proposals included getting rid of existing agricultural exemptions to the state's animal mistreatment laws. The Greeley Tribune reports that the agricultural industry was concerned that would put producers at risk for penalties for using currently accepted practices.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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