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Passage of Issue 2 an Attempt to Forestall Meaningful Animal-Welfare Reforms for Ohio Farm Animals

Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary: “This undemocratic power grab was passed by the same means that inhumane factory farming practices continue to pass in a so-called civilized society — by misleading well-meaning Ohioans...”

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – November 4, 2009 – Gene Baur, President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, today issued the following statement about the passage of Issue 2, which will create an industry dominated Livestock Care Standards Board with minimal oversight to oversee the welfare of farm animals in Ohio:

“Earlier this year, when the Ohio Farm Bureau and other local agribusiness rushed forward drastic legislation seeking to maintain the cruel status quo for Ohio farm animals, it was because they feared an undeniable truth — that when given a chance, people do not want animals to be treated cruelly. Today’s passage of Issue 2 does not change this irrefutable fact. Factory farming is an aberration that cannot survive the light of day. This undemocratic power grab was passed by the same means that inhumane factory farming practices continue to pass in a so-called civilized society — by misleading well-meaning Ohioans to believe that a Livestock Care Standards Board would protect the animals in its care, when it was actually designed to allow cruel and inhumane practices to continue on factory farms despite the fact that they are not aligned with Ohioans’ values of compassion.

Let me be clear: it’s not okay to pack animals into cages and crates so tightly they cannot turn around or stretch their limbs. Polling has shown that the good people of Ohio do not think so either. The more the public learns about the horrific conditions animals are forced to endure on factory farms, the more intolerant they become of these cruelties. Seven states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, and Oregon—have already banned some of the worst confinement systems for farm animals. In time, Ohio will do the same.

Animals should be able to move and lie down comfortably. If someone knew of a dog chained by the neck in a 2-foot-wide crate and kept in the dark for his entire life, as is standard industry practice with calves raised for veal, the urgency of relieving the suffering of this animal would be intuitively understood. Having rescued hundreds of calves and other farm animals from cruel confinement systems over the past two decades, I can assure that they feel pain, suffering, depression and loneliness like cats, dogs and other species. By enacting Issue 2, the good people of Ohio have unwittingly put a fox in the henhouse.”

If you would like to speak with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.