Constitutional Amendment to Establish a Livestock Standards Board
Note: this text is shamelessly copy-and-pasted from various sources.
Both chambers of the Ohio State legislature have passed an amendment to place on the November ballot the question of amending the Constitution of the State of Ohio to establish a Livestock Standards Board
The 13 members of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board would include the Ohio director of agriculture, a family farmer appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and a family farmer appointed by the President of the Senate.
The remaining 10 members, to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, would include a member representing family farms, a member with knowledge of Ohio food safety, two members representing a statewide farm organization, a veterinarian licensed in Ohio, the Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian, the dean of agriculture at an Ohio college or university, two members representing Ohio consumers and one member representing a county humane society.
The board would be charged with establishing and implementing livestock and poultry care standards, with enforcement by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Establishment of the Board is strongly opposed by the Human Society of the United States, who believe that this is a blatant attempt to stall efforts to halt inhumane confinement practices for veal calves, pigs and other animals on factory farms.
The Governor supports this and has stated that "The board will ensure that Ohioans continue to have access to a safe and affordable local food supply and will make our state a national leader in the level of animal care and responsibility." Members of various Ohio agriculture organizations, including the Ohio Poultry Association, the Ohio Dairy Producers Association, and the Ohio Cattlemen's Association; have all given laudatory statements concerning the bill and the potential it has to enact reform in the future.
In California, HSUS was successful in passing Proposition 2 as a Nov. 2008 ballot initiative: Prop 2 ends the practice of cage confinement for certain animals, requiring that farms provide enough space for animals to stand up, turn around and extend their limbs. It applies to breeding pigs, egg laying hens and veal calves. Prop 2 goes into effect in January of 2015, giving farms six years to shift to different housing systems.
So the battle lines are being drawn and we can be certain that this is going to become a huge issue in Ohio moving forward.
The Board needs to discuss what it wants OEFFA’s position to be.