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Ag lobbyist: Animal rights orgs intent on regulations

By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

SIDNEY, Ohio — If national animal rights organizations had their way, livestock production would come to a screeching halt and a meat-free society would be in place.

That was the message to hundreds of farmers from southwestern Ohio and eastern Indiana who attended the 18th annual 8th Congressional District Farm Forum at Edison Community College in Shelby County, Ohio. This event was hosted by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and serves as an annual discussion about issues facing farmers in the tri-state region.

Steve Kopperud, senior vice president of Policy Directions, Inc., a Washington, D.C., government affairs and communications firm specializing in production agriculture and food processing and retailing, was among the panelists addressing this hot topic. He and others painted a grim outlook for Ohio livestock farmers, and he blames the pressures of animal rights groups.

“I’ve been watching and fighting them for 22 years and what I’ve seen is the emergence of one single organization which has decided that by itself it will shift the way America produces food, what Americans eat for food and do it all in the name of animal protection,” Kopperud said.

He founded and served as the first president of what is today the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a public education organization dedicated to countering animal rights propaganda. He said Ohio farmers should be warned that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has the manpower, funding and ability to bring great change in how Ohio farms operate.

HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle is preparing to initiate livestock farming regulations in Ohio, and that raises a red flag for Kopperud and others. These plans will include the elimination of poultry cages, calf crates and more throughout Ohio and other states.

“It will shift the way we produce food in this country to the way it was in the 1930s,” Kopperud said. “You just cannot feed the existing population based on a vegetable-based diet. These are the first steps in a nationwide attack.”

Ohio Farm Bureau President Brent Porteus said Ohioans should brace for an assault in this area of concern, stating it is inevitable. “The Humane Society has a clear-cut goal that makes producing meat products illegal,” he said. “They want to put livestock farmers out of business on their way to creating a meat-free American society.”

Kopperud added that meeting face-to-face with animal rights groups is not an option. In an earlier interview he said “the key in talking to the public is using messages that include strong, trust-building messages about producers and production practices. However, engaging PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is a waste of time. You will never negotiate successfully with an animal rights group.”

This year’s topic dealt with ethanol and animal rights, but for the majority of this daylong event animal rights dominated the conversation. Other speakers included Boehner, Renewable Fuels Assoc. President and CEO Bob Dinneen, Ohio Poultry Assoc. Executive Vice President Jim Chakeres, Ohio Corn Growers Assoc. Executive Director Dwayne Siekman and National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger.

3/18/2009