This year, Ohio voters are faced with a monumental decision regarding the safety of their food supply. Issue #2 on the ballot would establish a Livestock Advisory Board and give that board free reign to design, establish and implement standards of care for livestock and poultry. Ostensibly, such a measure sounds like a good thing. After all, we do need to implement better standards of care in the raising and harvesting of cattle, hogs, poultry and other animal foods.

The measure sounds good on the ballot:

Require the state to create the Livestock Care Standards Board to prescribe standards for animal care and well-being that endeavor to maintain food safety, encourage locally grown and raised food and protect Ohio farms and families.

It sounds good, doesn’t it? But, in reality, the ramifications of Issue #2 – were it to pass – could be deadly for small family farms – particularly for those small farms employing sustainable and biodynamic methods in the care of their livestock. What we have here, essentially, is nothing short of well-disguised, Orwellian-style doublethink. War is peace. Truth is lies. And, were this issue to pass, “livestock care” would mean factory farms.

Organizations Against Issue #2

• Humane Society of the United States
• Capital Area Humane Society
• Cleveland Animal Protective League
• Toledo Area Humane Society
• Ohio Farmers Union
• League of Women Voters Ohio
• Ohio Environmental Stewardship Council
• Center for Food Safety
• Ohio Sierra Club
• Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association

Ohio’s Issue #2 favors factory farms.

Despite the lip service paid to animal welfare, Issue #2 would institute and rely upon aboard to establish and implement standards of care for livestock animals and poultry that is dominated by industrial agriculture giants – the very folks who have created the problem of factory farming. Mixing industrial agriculture giants with state government would effectively allow the industry to further dominate the production of meats and other animal foods in Ohio. This board would have a largely unchecked power that would allow it to override acts by the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio State Assembly.

Buy voting YES on Ohio Issue #2, Ohio voters would be giving industry giants free reign to institute measures that would continue to protect inhumane factory farming and could very well drive small farms practicing sustainable methods out of business.

Ohio Issue #2 is bad for animals and bad for human health and bad for the environment.

To allow Issue #2 to pass would help to not only continue the practice of factory farming by Big Ag, but protect it. Factory farming is linked to disease in animals and to contamination of our nation’s food supply. Acid-resistant e-coli – the strain that sickens so many people and can be fatal – is a result of factory farming. Researchers have found 315 times the amount of acid-resistant e-coli in factory farmed beef than in grass-fed, free-range beef. Moreover, people who consume factory farmed eggs are 250% more likely to contract salmonella than those who do not consume eggs from battery cage hens. Moreover, factory farming is also strong factor in the emergence of H5N1 (bird flu) and H1N1 (swine flu). Factory farms contaminate the environment as well by spreading animal waste into the waterways – sickening other animals and humans too.

Ohio’s Issue #2 is unnecessary and creates more government without appropriate efficacy.

Ohio’s Issue #2 is not necessary and only adds to the state’s ever-increasing bureaucracy. Passing this issue will amend the state’s constitution – setting a very dangerous precedent by allowing special interest groups like Big Ag to further their private goals through the state’s most important governmental document. Private interest has no place on the constitution of Ohio or that of any other state.

Livestock care is a problem, Issue #2 is not the answer

While poor livestock care is undoubtedly a problem, establishing an industry-dominated board with unchecked power to establish and implement solutions is not the answer. Instead, other states have implemented clear and effective standards to mitigate the problems of factory farming. Were Ohio voters really concerned about the welfare of animals raised for food in their state, enacting laws pertaining to handling and care of animals would be more effective than handing over control to the industry that created the problem in the first place.

I urge all Ohio voters to vote NO on Issue #2 tomorrow.   Please tweet, email and discuss Issue #2.