In April the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance announced that Iams had sent it a letter saying that the company had severed its relationship with the Humane Society of the United States.
The USSA quoted a letter from Kelly Vanasse, Associate Director, External Relations, that said,
We want to inform you and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance that the Iams Company is officially announcing that we are not funding the Petfest American events with the HSUS again next year. We appreciate the feedback we have received from the sporting dog community and apologize for the frustration that this sponsorship has caused.
USSA president Bud Pidgeon said in the press release that,
We are very pleased that Iams has seen the light about this situation. It was a very difficult situation for this company that has been a good supporter of sporting dog events and for those groups accepting the sponsorship dollars. These sporting dog groups were perplexed at the companies’ support of the largest anti-hunting group in the country.
Source:
Iams Pulls Sponsorship of Animal Rights Events. Press Release, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, April 27, 2004.