HARRISON - Animal rights groups say bloody cockfight battles, illegal in all but two states, are the only reason game fowl are raised. They are urging the federal government to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Ohio-based United Gamefowl Breeders Association.
The group, with about 15,000 members in 28 states, has operated as a government-sanctioned agricultural organization for 28 years.
The Internal Revenue Service says agricultural organizations include groups who cultivate land, harvest crops or aquatic resources, or raise livestock. IRS spokesman Anthony Burke said the agency had received the Humane Society's complaint but couldn't say if it was investigating.
Larry Mathews, United Gamefowl's founder and spokesman, said the group doesn't see anything wrong with cockfighting in areas where it's legal but doesn't advocate breaking the law.
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