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| Strickland signs Ohio animal board into law |
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Science based? No. Emotionally charged? Yes. Misleading? Without a doubt!
Ohio voters may be charged once again this fall with determining whether or not people can economically consume animal based protein foods. An effort is underway to collect 600,000 signatures to require the recently created Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to address animal care issues from an animal rights point of view, not from a research-based livestock management perspective.
Last fall, Ohio voters overwhelmingly voted to establish the Livestock Care Standards Board to establish guidelines conducive to both humane animal care and sustainable, yet profitable livestock production. Nearly 2/3 of those voting were in favor of Issue 2, with 87 of 88 counties passing the measure. The constitutional amendment had been placed on the ballot with significant bipartisan political support, a 32-0 vote of the State Senate and 84-13 vote in the Ohio House. The governor and most other local, state and federal elected officials were in favor of the election issue because of its importance in agriculture’s ability to provide a domestically produced, safe, plentiful and economical food supply to consumers.
Just last week, Ohio’s Governor Ted Strickland signed into law the legislation that created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. As designated by last fall’s constitutional amendment, the members will include: a family farmer, a licensed Ohio veterinarian, the state veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, a food safety expert, a representative of a county humane society that is organized under state law, two members from state wide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college or university and two members of the public representing consumers. These 10-members will be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. Chaired by Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs, one additional family farmer will be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one family farmer by the president of the Senate to serve on the Board.
The Board is charged with setting standards for livestock and poultry care that take into account best farm management practices for animal well-being, animal morbidity and mortality data, food safety and local availability and affordability of food. Board members are required to regard these issues and their impact on overall animal health, biosecurity on livestock farms and animal disease prevention. Addressing food safety, sufficient food production and the economics of consumers’ food is essential.
The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board has been established to ensure that Ohio farmers are able to continue to produce a safe and affordable food for consumers, while caring for their animals in a way that is based on research by animal scientists.
Much of the effort to collect signatures and monies to reverse last year’s ballot issue uses stories and photos of abused pets to solicit support. While the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claim an honorable objective, a check of their websites confirms their ultimate goal of limiting or eliminating human consumption of animal based protein. Are their motives legitimate?
Perhaps you should check the humanewatch.org website for a different perspective before supporting their cause with a signature or donation. |
| 4/7/2010 |
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