OREGON — On May 20, 2026, the campaign behind the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act submitted more than 120,000 signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State, exceeding the 117,173 valid signatures required to qualify the initiative for the November 2026 ballot. This marks the first initiative in Oregon in 2026 to surpass the signature threshold for ballot inclusion.

The PEACE Act would amend Chapter 167 of the Oregon Revised Statutes to eliminate exemptions currently allowed under the state’s animal cruelty laws. If enacted, the measure would criminalize hunting, fishing, and trapping of animals, as well as the slaughter of any animal for food. It would also prohibit commercial poultry operations and any farming practice that causes physical injury, stress, or fails to meet newly established minimum care standards.

The initiative extends to practices considered standard in animal agriculture, making illegal procedures such as dehorning cattle, docking livestock, and castration or neutering of livestock. Wildlife management activities—including culling programs, invasive species control, and predator management—would also be criminalized. Even common pest control methods like mousetraps or rodent extermination would be prohibited if they result in physical injury or death to a protected animal.

Protected animals under the initiative would include any nonhuman mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish. The only permitted exceptions for harming or killing such animals would be acts of self-defense against an immediate threat to humans or other animals, and veterinary procedures defined as good practice under existing state law.

To mitigate economic impacts, the initiative proposes a Humane Transition Fund, which the Oregon Legislature would be required to finance. The fund would support food assistance, income replacement, job retraining, animal care costs, and conservation and rewilding efforts for individuals affected by the new restrictions.

The committee supporting the measure, Yes on IP 28, reported raising $304,818.28 through May 26, 2026, with top donors including the Craigslist Charitable Fund, David Michelson, Owen Gunden, and Postnov Leonid. The initiative represents the first in the United States to propose criminalizing hunting, fishing, and intentional injury to animals. As of May 1, 2026, 90 initiatives had been filed with the Secretary of State, with 10 cleared for signature gathering. The deadline for all signature submissions is July 2, 2026.