Ohio's Issue 2, Round 2

The passage of Issue 2 in Ohio last November was a setback for animal welfare advocates, not to mention agricultural animals themselves.

Issue 2 created a Livestock Care Standards Board composed of political appointees, with sweeping powers to control how livestock is treated on Ohio farms. Political appointments often lead to political patronage, raising the concern that seats on the Livestock Board would likely go to whichever factory farming shills ponied up the most campaign dollars.

A quick look at who bankrolled the pro-Issue 2 campaign certainly gives those fears some credibility. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the effort to pass Issue 2 had a budget of over $4 million, much of it from groups like the Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Poultry Association, and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Fortunately for the livestock, animal advocates are fighting back to make sure that the board doesn't start work with a blank check for animal abuse. Ohioans for Humane Farms, a coalition of veterinarians, interest groups, farmers, and Ohio citizens, is seeking a second ballot initiative that would set minimum standards for the Livestock Board to follow. (Here's the full text of the proposed constitutional amendment, in .pdf form)

The proposed care standards aren't extreme; in fact, they're the basic elements of humane treatment: banning overly restrictive battery cages and breeding pens, keeping "downer cows" (animals too sick or injured to stand) out of the food supply and ending their lives humanely, and banning strangulation as a form of euthanasia. This isn't exactly an extremist agenda we're talking about here.

The good news that the first hurdle has been cleared. Last Friday, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray approved the proposed ballot language. Next, the Ohio Ballot Board will consider the language of the initiative to make sure it passes constitutional muster.

Then comes the hard part. In order to get this on the ballot and in front of the voters, Ohioans for Humane Farms needs to gather over 600,000 signatures. If you live in Ohio, they're going to need your help. In fact, even if you don't live in Ohio, you can lend a hand. Visit this website to learn more about what you can do.

Thanks to a multi-million dollar campaign by big agribusiness, Ohio voters created a potential monster. Now, the good guys are trying to put that monster on a leash. It's the right thing to do.

Photo credit: mackenzienicole