7/29/2009 8:00:00 AM Farm Bureau group hopes to set standards before someone else does
By Codi Vallery-Mills
The Ohio Farm Bureau had a win recently when its resolution to create a Livestock Care and Standards Board passed the Ohio House 83-16 and the Ohio Senate 31-1.
"The board will help Ohio farmers continue to provide excellent care for our animals, while also ensuring safe, affordable and locally raised food," testified Kim Davis, a Ohio Farm Bureau trustee and farmer, to House lawmakers.
The win now puts the resolution up for vote on the state's general election ballot this coming November.
If approved, the Livestock Care and Standards Board will set the framework for making livestock and poultry care decisions in Ohio. The board will be comprised of a variety of individuals involved in different facets of the agricultural industry according to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF).
The suggested individuals will be three family farmers, two veterinarians, a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, two members from statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two members representing Ohio consumers.
The passage of the resolution has upset the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who says the measure is a "special interest power grab" and insists the OFBF should work with HSUS.
The farmers group has given no signal that it intends to work with the animal activist group.
Joe Cornely with the OFBF told The Brownfield Network recently getting the initiative on the ballot is just the first hurdle.
"And now comes the campaign," says Cornely. "And there will be an official campaign to go to the public to talk to them about livestock care, what this Standards Board means to them as consumers, as pet owners, as animal operators, this is just the first step, we've got a long row to hoe before November."
HSUS says they are ready to launch a statewide ballot initiative for November 3, 2010 if they are not asked to be part of the board. The threatened initiative would be very similar to Proposition 2, which HSUS backed and effectively passed in California last year. It put into place restrictions on the confinement of animals, greatly impacting the veal, pork and poultry industry.
To learn more about the Ohio Farm Bureau find them online at http://ofbf.org.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Leroy Coffman
I have experience from coast to coast as a livestock producer, privated vet, state vet and consultant. This is the right move. Now the ballot must be passed.
