28-Hour Rule Also Applies to Livestock Truckers, USDA Says

he United States Department of Agriculture said a rule concerning the length of time carriers are allowed to transport livestock by rail car without providing the animals with food and rest also applies trucks, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Saturday.

In a letter last Thursday to the Humane Society of the United States, USDA said the law applied equally to trucks and rail cars, responding to a petition the animal-rights group submitted last October, the Democrat Gazette reported.

The law states that livestock haulers must offload animals and provide them with food, water and rest every 28 hours.