February 7, 2010
Livestock board deserves fair chance to set up
Zanesville Times Recorder Editorial
Ohio voters turned away the Humane Society of the United States in November, but the organization is back again.
A committee of the society, Ohioans for Humane Farms, filed a petition with the Ohio Attorney General's office last week to put an anti-cruelty measure on this November's ballot.
Farms rose up against the society last year when it wanted to mandate the care and well-being of livestock and poultry, and their organized efforts led to Issue 2. Voters then approved the issue, which created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board that will look at and address the issues raised by the society. The time frame and membership of the board clearly were communicated before the November election: The board would form in the spring and its 13 members would be Ohioans, not people from another state who have no vested interest in our food, our farms or our economy.
Well, it's not spring yet, and the society already is starting to peck at the board. As Wayne Pacelle, the society's president and CEO, put it, it wants to help guide the work of the livestock board. If that truly is the case, the society would allow the board time to become operational.
The board could not be formed at the snap of a finger -- it requires legislative action, and the board members must be selected. Ten of the 13 members will be appointed by the governor, with the other appointments coming from the Ohio House and Senate and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Although the wheels of government often turn slowly, it's in the best interest of every Ohioan to take time to find those individuals who have the required knowledge and dedication for such an undertaking.
The board deserves a fair shot here. It should be allowed an appropriate amount of time to tackle the issues placed before it. Until then, the society should cage itself. Link
The HSUS is so worried about the voter approved Livestock Standards Board that they are trying to control it’s ability to make decisions before it’s even officially formed. They realize that the decisions of mainstream people who are experts in the field of animal husbandry probably won’t match their vegan agenda. As this editorial says, Ohio residents need to reject this out of state effort and let the new board be formed and allow it to function as the voters intended.
~Troy
1 comment:
I read the Ohioans for Humane Farms proposed language, and it doesn't seem radical to me at all. It says animals should be able to turn around and extend their limbs. I don't know a single cattle rancher who would disagree. The proposed language also says hanging pigs to death shouldn't be allowed. Another no-brainer. You may not like some of the groups that support these ideas, but they seem like pretty reasonable ideas to me.
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