A Battle Won for Animal Agriculture

On Tuesday, Ohio voters approved Issue 2 with a final yes vote of 63%. The 'yes' vote approved the formation of a 13 member Livestock Care Standards Board that will create standards and regulations for animal care and well being in food safety, encourage local farmers and ranchers to maintain production and protect Ohio producers. The board will be comprised of representatives from farming organizations, veterinarians, the dean of the college of agriculture at an Ohio university, a county humane society representative and Ohio family farms.

The passing of Issue 2 is labeled as a win for animal agriculture because it has seemingly beat HSUS to the punch on who will decide what regulations will be set for farmers and how they care for their livestock. However HSUS CEO, Wayne Pacelle, has already issued a statement that HSUS will submit a ballot initiative next year in Ohio to pursue the abolishment of gestation and veal crates and battery cages.

Hopefully Ohio will get the board up and running asap and let voters see that they made the right decision.

For more information on the Livestock Care Standards Board you can visit http://www.safelocalohiofood.org/.

Until next time...