Illinois: RC offers proposals to protect livestock

Policy draft recommends IDOA animal jurisdiction

Martin Ross
Published: Nov 12, 2009

The Illinois Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee seeks to bolster health and educational resources and policy protections for an already-beleaguered livestock industry.

Amid concerns about state ballot initiatives and local efforts aimed at restricting livestock activities, RC proposals support granting Illinois Department of Agriculture jurisdiction over care of all livestock and companion animals statewide. IFB producer delegates will review policy proposals at the organization’s Dec. 5-8 annual meeting in Chicago.

The RC proposal is aimed at providing strong, ag-based guidance in the face of pressure from activist groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). RC Ag Policy-National Issues Subcommittee Chairman Kent Mellendorf noted the prospective impact of California’s recently passed, HSUS-backed Proposition 2 on West Coast egg producers.

Ohio voters by a nearly two-to-one margin recently supported establishment of a new Farm Bureau-backed Livestock Care Standards Board that will recommend guidelines for the care of the state’s livestock. Oklahoma and Michigan have passed legislation prohibiting local governments from enacting livestock rules or ordinances that are more restrictive than state ag regulations, the latter with support from the American Humane Society.

The RC also proposed commodity groups pool resources in a “direct concentrated effort” to educate consumers on use of best management practices especially in livestock production. As activists mobilize to restrict production practices, livestock, dairy, and mutually reliant crop groups are recognizing the value of pooling resources to “target one area at a time, vs. each one trying to do a little bit on their own,” Mellendorf said.

FarmWeekNow.com

Issue 2 and Beyond

From our friends at the Animal Agriculture Alliance:

Issue 2 and Beyond

November 5, 2009 - On November 3, Ohioans showed their overwhelming support for local farmers and food safety by voting in support of Issue 2. The proposed Livestock Care Standards Board passed with more than 63 percent of the vote thanks to an inspiring grassroots effort by farmers and ranchers, agriculture organizations, veterinarians, and consumers to protect Ohio's agriculture industry. These individuals should be commended for effectively reaching out to the public to share the importance of animal agriculture within their state. Full press release ...

Ohio voters overwhelmingly pass Issue 2

Congratulations to Ohio voters who had the wisdom to place animal husbandry under the guidance of those with hands-on experience instead of philosophers with a counter productive agenda.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Ohio voters overwhelmingly pass Issue 2
by Susan Crowell

COLUMBUS — Unofficial voting results indicate Ohio voters gave their approval to Issue 2, the ballot measure to amend the state constitution and create a livestock care standards board.
With 99.99 percent of the precincts reporting, the unofficial tally saw 63.65% of Ohio voters (1,958,646 people) voting for Issue 2, while 36.35% or 1,118,484 voters, voted “no.”
The constitutional amendment will create a state Livestock Care Standards Board. The 13-member board, comprised mostly of farmers, veterinarians and agricultural industry leaders, will create and implement livestock care guidelines.

The ballot measure was triggered by conversations between the Humane Society of the United States and Ohio ag leaders last February, in which the HSUS hoped to create out a working relationship to develop livestock care standards like those negotiated in Colorado (and most recently in Michigan this fall). More specifically, HSUS said it wanted to ban the use of poultry cages, veal crates and gestation stalls in the Buckeye State.

If Ohio ag groups chose not to work with the HSUS, the activist group leaders said they would take the battle to legislators or work to pass a ballot initiative in 2010.

Ohio ag leaders, however, quickly moved to push the idea of a constitutional amendment to create the livestock care standards board, feeling the proactive approach would have a stronger ag foundation than that pushed by the Humane Society of the United States.

As it looked like the state’s voters had approved Issue 2, John Lumpe, president of the Ohioans for Livestock Care Political Action Committee (PAC) said it was clear that voters understood “that a board of experts is the appropriate entity to make decisions on behalf of animal agriculture and food production in our state.”

“Voters agree with Ohio’s farm community and our diverse base of supporters — decisions about food and farming should be made in Ohio, by Ohioans,” Lumpe said in a prepared statement.

Full story: http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/early-returns-indicate-ohio-voters-favor-issue-2/13458.html