By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Last year, livestock production accounted for nearly $2.5 billion in farm cash receipts in the state. That’s a big deal in an economy that saw an overall drop in 2009 receipts by more than $500 million over the previous year’s total.

But Kentucky livestock producers are facing more than the economy these days as animal anti-cruelty groups are blanketing the country trying to pass legislation that would affect the way animals are raised.

Senate Bill 105 was recently brought before the Kentucky Senate Agriculture Committee by Sen. David Givens (R-Greensburg) with a full house of supporters and non-supporters present.

The bill would create a 14-member Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Commission, which would set rules for the treatment of animals on the farm, be administered by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and chaired by the state’s agriculture commissioner. The legislation would also prevent local governments from passing standards that are stricter than those set by the commission.
The 2008 passage of Proposition 2 in California has set off a firestorm of rhetoric between agriculture groups and members of such groups as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA.)

On a recent visit to Kentucky, Wayne Pacelle, president of HSUS visited with supporters to sort of rally the troops for the legislative session.

The organization’s agenda included shoring up existing anti-cruelty laws and regulations against cockfighting and the practice of soring as it pertains to walking horses.

When asked if his association was against animal agriculture, he said the HSUS is not against it by any means, adding theirs is not an anti-meat campaign, but an anti-abuse campaign.
But not everyone is convinced of that. In fact, many states are seeing legislation introduced to address the issue with the argument that those outside the animal agriculture industry don’t understand the culture of farming.

“Once the commission is formed, it will have the authority to promulgate regulations pertinent to on-farm livestock and poultry care standards,” said Givens of SB 105. “The goal of this being for the commission to consider factors including animal well-being, ag best management practices, herd health and taking into account the need to have safe, affordable and healthy food supplies for all consumers.”

Ultimately, Givens said the commission would be comprised of people knowledgeable about standard animal care practices and practical approaches that are common throughout agriculture.
“We want those sorts of minds driving the conversation rather than the conversation being driven by emotional elements that can sometimes overshadow our farm practices,” he said.

The commission would include the state veterinarian as a non-voting member as well as the dean of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and the chair of the Animal Control Advisory Board among others. The commission would also include four members appointed by the governor.

Givens, who has an extensive background in agriculture also said the legislation would have very little impact on the majority of farmers in the state.

“Currently, under Kentucky law as with many other states, it is illegal to treat animals cruelly. How we define what is cruel and neglect is the focus of this commission,” he said.

“I don’t see added enforcement cost. I see a much better understanding within the industry, and I’m excited as an industry member to be able to root out the bad actors that do need to be moved out of the industry, and that is one of the goals of this commission. If this impacts 2 percent of our livestock producers, I’ll be surprised.

“I think far and away the vast majority of our Kentucky farmers that deal with livestock and poultry are already complying with virtually everything this commission will be producing.”

Farm groups support bill

Given is joined by a host of agriculture organizations supporting the bill. A policy statement posted on the Kentucky Farm Bureau website noted, “We support the creation of a Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Board to establish livestock care guidelines for producers.”

The Kentucky Corn Growers Assoc. released a similar declaration asking members to support the bill: “The livestock industry is our single most important customer. About 50 percent of all the corn grown in Kentucky goes to feed. Extremist groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, have already made a detrimental impact on animal agriculture in other states, and we need to ban together to see that does not happen in Kentucky with preventative legislative action.”

While much is being done in this legislative session, this subject has been on the radar of most ag groups for some time. Last year Debbie Ellis, executive director of the Kentucky Soybean Board, issued a statement on its website urging support for that industry’s number-one customer, animal agriculture.

“As an epidemic of anti-pet, anti-farmer, anti-animal use legislation sweeps our nation, I’d like to give Kentucky a heads-up.  Raised on a west Kentucky farm, I used to be amused at the fact that most American consumers seem to think that the eggs, milk, meat and cheese they need to feed their families just miraculously appear in the grocery store.  There’s nothing funny about this ignorance any more.  Now it’s just scary,” she wrote. “The deceptively-named Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are leading the charge to rob us of our constitutional rights and eliminate American farmers.  The vegan-led ‘animal rights’ movement exploits their naiveté in their agenda to eliminate our access to local, safe, affordable food.” 

Givens said the idea for the legislation came from numerous conversations with other lawmakers and those he has met in his capacity as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He added that many of the groups that view some agricultural practices as cruel and inhumane don’t fully understand the culture of agriculture.

“Today, many Kentuckians as well as Americans are removed one, two or maybe even three generations from the farm. Years ago a child or grandchild would go to visit an aunt or grandma and spend a week on the farm so they understood animal agriculture to some degree,” he said. “Sadly enough today, because many young people don’t get a chance to spend time on the farm, practices we consider normal in production agriculture, there are elements in society that view them as cruel and unusual.”

As this legislation plays out, educating all the elements involved could take some time. Givens said the bill provides a way for all factions to voice their concerns. It also reflects the need for consumers to have a safe abundant food supply and for farmers to operate in an environment where the rules are known and driven by scientific standards.

“This will provide a mechanism for any concerned citizen, be they related to a humane society or a farmer, to be able to have their voice heard and their concerns properly understood by a diverse group,” he said.

The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate last week and awaits House action.