Ohio Wins George Orwell Award from Green Blog
by Kimberly Hartke
There
is something really rotten and stinky going on in Ohio. On the Ballot
this coming Tuesday is Issue 2, which proposes to set up a permanent livestock board
that will tell farmers how they must run their farms. Huge agribusiness
groups, even soy producers from around the country are funding the
political campaign that will subject farmers to the bureaucratic whims
of this board. If the board says, you must confine your animals, you
must use antibiotics in the feed, whatever, the farmers will have to
comply or else. 
While
consumers are led to believe this board will protect animals and insure
their "quality of life." That is actually a ruse. This measure is not
about animal husbandry. It is about control, and who has it.
This is a dangerous situation, since industrial farms will be in control of their competitors through this political power play. If there are farmers using inhumane practices or unacceptable conditions, why not correct them through the already existing membership organizations and peer pressure? These mega farms would certainly have the money to rectify the situation. No, instead, they want to keep doing what they are doing, and instead, control all their competition.
A political action committee called Ohioans for Livestock Care is paying for a big marketing push for this ballot initiative. While it sounds like a local campaign, many out of state groups are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into this. Groups like Eli Lilly, a drug manufacturer, the National Pork Producers, Iowa Pork Producers Council, a Soybean Research and Promotion Council out of Minnesota, and the Iowa Soybean Association, are among the out of state organizations on the PAC contributors list.
Why would soybean producers care about animal welfare? Because they peddle an animal protein substitute. Any thing that hurts their competition, benefits them. If burdensome regulations drive meat prices go up, soy protein may gain greater acceptance with the consumer, thus market share. Why any livestock producers would team up with them is beyond me. Unless of course, their ultimate aim is also to edge out competition.
More Regulations Invariably Means Less Food Safety, Fewer OptionsBig regulations always favor the big producers. They are the only ones who can afford to comply. Marketplace greed certainly makes for strange alliances.
If Issue 2 passes, we can expect traditional farmers to be told that raising cows on pasture is wasteful, unscientific, barbarian. I can imagine them getting called before this board and sanctioned for not raising their chickens in a "sanitary" environment.
In this panel discussion at a recent town hall, the Agribusiness gal claims that research shows there is no difference in quality of the food based on different methods of farming. If so, why is this board necessary?
Here is the video of the town hall, it is well worth watching it to the end, it is around 30 minutes:
I believe it is an attempt to ward off a push for this type of control from a vegan group such as PETA or the U.S. Humane Society. These farmers have decided to implement their own board as a pre-emptive strike.Ohioans Don't Be Duped!
Ohio citizens, be forewarned. This measure will crush the local farmers, reduce the variety and diversity of food produced in your state, set up a costly bureaucracy in perpetuity.
If you want to make sure some farms won't be more "equal than others" as in George Orwell's Animal Farm, VOTE NO on Issue 2.
At the same time, if you are concerned about animal welfare, find out who the bad actors are (you might start with any Ohio farm that contributed to the PAC) and send letters to the companies and newspaper editors, picket their facilities, ask for the Ohio Health Department to implement regulations already on the books. The other thing you can do is buy directly from a local farm. Check with your local Weston A. Price chapter leader for a humane livestock producer nearest you and patronize him.
Vote with your food budget instead of voting for more government and less freedom for the individual farmer.
This Blogger Awards Ohio a Dubious DistinctionHartke is Online! hereby gives the State of Ohio it's George Orwell Award for even putting such a measure on the ballot. The "Unwellie Award" is given to shine the light on bureaucratic nonsense and over reach. It is a dubious award which points out how unhealthy are society is becoming as we give over more and more control to Big Brother.
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