Democrat Diane Watson and Republican Elton Gallegly introduced the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act to set a higher standard for food purchased by the federal government.

Their bill, H.R. 4733, requires that food purchased for federal programs come from animals raised with enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around and stretch their limbs.

American Farm Bureau lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher says she doesn't think the bill will go anywhere.

"The good news is that the people who introduced it are a little bit lower ranking in the scheme of things than the people who did before," Thatcher said.

"I doubt that this year you are going to see much on the Federal level that will move, I think HSUS is going to continue on the state levels."

HSUS, the Humane Society of the United States, praised the Watson-Gallegly proposal and encouraged Congress to act swiftly to pass it.

The bill was referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.

Thatcher and National Farmers Union lobbyist Chandler Goule noted that livestock groups are appreciative of the financial and public relations support they're getting from grain and soybean groups in their battle against animal welfare activists.

According to Goule, HSUS leaders don't want their rank and file members to know what the organisation is really up to.

"What your average American who's not in agriculture production does not understand is that HSUS is a $120 million, $135 million political machine and it has zero animals in its care," Goule said.

"You have all these grandmothers and granddads that think when they give to HSUS that they're getting cats and dogs off their streets.

"They're not; they're giving HSUS more ammunition to go into your states and regulate how you produce agriculture.