Maryland Criminal Law Section 10-603

      Sections 10-601 through 10-608 of this subtitle do not apply to:

            (1)      customary and normal veterinary and agricultural husbandry practices including dehorning, castration, tail docking, and limit feeding;

            (2)      research conducted in accordance with protocols approved by an animal care and use committee, as required under the federal Animal Welfare Act or the federal Health Research Extension Act;

            (3)      an activity that may cause unavoidable physical pain to an animal, including food processing, pest elimination, animal training, and hunting, if the person performing the activity uses the most humane method reasonably available; or

            (4)      normal human activities in which the infliction of pain to an animal is purely incidental and unavoidable.