vote for animal care on election day

Proposed livestock board (Issue 2) is best way to define proper care for livestock

The pages of this issue of Our Ohio magazine reflect a wide variety of farm families who care for livestock while also trying to make a living providing food and fiber for the rest of us. On Election Day, the voters of Ohio will have an opportunity to show support for the Ohio farm families who want to continue this important work.

The central question of Issue 2: Who should set standards for farm animal treatment in Ohio? Ohio Farm Bureau urges a "yes" vote on Issue 2 to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board and ensure all sides of the issue are heard.

The board will be composed of a broad base of Ohioans knowledgeable in livestock and poultry care, including family farmers, veterinarians, a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, members from statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and members representing Ohio consumers.

Ohio Farm Bureau and other farm commodity organizations believe the creation of the board is better public policy than the efforts of activists who have launched several expensive campaigns in other states to outlaw specific farm practices. Now, those activists have targeted Ohio for another divisive campaign. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the nation’s largest animal rights group. Its message: Ohio livestock farmers must change some animal husbandry practices, or new practices will be forced on them in a ballot initiative.

Why the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board is the better way

In testimony to lawmakers in the Ohio House in June, Kim Davis, a Carroll County cattle farmer and Ohio Farm Bureau board member, said the Livestock Care Standards Board would “help Ohio farmers continue to provide excellent care for our animals, while also ensuring safe, affordable and locally raised food.” In a Senate committee hearing, Fayette County farmer and Ohio Farm Bureau board member Bob Peterson said animal care is a top priority for Ohio farmers. “It’s the right thing to do and it keeps our animals safe, healthy and disease-free,” he said.

The only opponent testimony came from a representative of the Humane Society of the United States. The group backed a nearly $10 million initiative in California last year that effectively outlawed hen cages and individual stalls for pregnant sows and stalls for veal calves. The future of those industries in California is now in doubt. With an annual budget of $120 million, HSUS has the resources to convince Ohio voters that animal abuse on farms is rampant and that all Ohio farms are “corporate mega farms.” Incidentally, don’t be confused by the name – the Humane Society of the United States is not connected to your local humane society.

Chuck Wildman, a seventh generation Clark County grain and hog farmer, is one of many farmers whose current animal housing system would be made illegal under a California-type proposal. He doesn’t like that activists would be pushing Ohioans to vote one time on one day to forever take away everyone’s right to certain foods. “The Livestock Care Standards Board allows the consumer to say ‘Hey, these issues are being looked at by professionals, they’re being looked at by experts,’” he said. “Isn’t this a more reasonable way to approach the issue?

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Paid for by Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC, John C. Fisher, Treasurer, 280 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215.