Updated 08/01/10
NEXT WCCOFF MEETING:
Next meeting date:
No WCCOFF meeting scheduled at this time.
NEXT OESA MEETING:
Next meeting date:
August 14, 2010, at the Marion Public Library at 1:30 PM - see Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
Landmark Ohio Animal Welfare Agreement Reached Among HSUS, Ohioans for Humane Farms, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, and Ohio’s Leading Livestock Organizations
Phase Out of Extreme Confinement Systems for Breeding Pigs and Veal Calves; Immediate Moratorium on Battery Cage Construction, and Other Animal Welfare Reforms to Be Implemented
Gains in the Making on Puppy Mills, Cockfighting and Exotic Pet Trade
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 30, 2010) – A deal struck among The Humane Society of the United States, Ohioans for Humane Farms, Ohio agriculture leaders and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland will lead to major animal welfare improvements in Ohio on a raft of issues, reforming industry practices and improving prospects for adoption of critical legislation in other areas. The agreement puts a hold on a planned factory farming initiative on the fall ballot.
“I’m grateful to Governor Strickland and his administration for their outstanding leadership on these issues,” said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO. Pacelle appeared with Gov. Strickland and Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Jack Fisher at a press conference to announce the agreement. “This agreement moves us forward on all of the components of the proposed ballot measure as well as other important advances for animals, too. I look forward to working with the Legislature and the Livestock Care Board to see these reforms adopted.”
The agreement includes recommendations from all of the parties for the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Care Board, the Legislature, and the Governor to adopt the following provisions:
• A ban on veal crates by 2017, which is the same timing as the ballot measure.
• A ban on new gestation crates in the state after December 31, 2010. Existing facilities are grandfathered, but must cease use of these crates within 15 years.
• A moratorium on permits for new battery cage confinement facilities for laying hens.
• A ban on strangulation of farm animals and mandatory humane euthanasia methods for sick or injured animals.
• A ban on the transport of downer cows for slaughter.
• Enactment of a legislation establishing felony-level penalties for cockfighters.
• Enactment of legislation cracking down on puppy mills.
• Enactment of a ban on the acquisition of dangerous exotic animals as pets, such as primates, bears, lions, tigers, large constricting and venomous snakes, crocodiles, and alligators.
“Ohioans should be proud that our state will be implementing these meaningful animal welfare reforms, and I am extremely grateful to all the Ohio animal advocates who gathered signatures to make this day possible,” said John Dinon, executive director of the Toledo Area Humane Society and president of the board of directors of Ohioans for Humane Farms. “Although I am a bit disappointed that action on battery cages will be delayed due to the compromise reached today, I still consider this a great victory for Ohio's animals and animal advocates.”
“These reforms represent important progress for farm animals and other animals in Ohio, and we’re grateful to all our volunteers in Ohio who worked so hard to make this happen,” said Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary.
Ohio is one of only 11 states that do not have a felony law against cockfighting. The relatively meager penalties have made the state a safe haven for cockfighters from nearby states, and hampered law enforcement efforts to crack down on the illegal activity. The legislation, H.B. 108, passed the House and is awaiting a vote in a Senate committee.
The HSUS reached the agreement with the Ohio Farm Bureau and other agricultural commodity groups on the same day Ohioans for Humane Farms would have delivered more than 500,000 signatures to the Secretary of State. The group gathered enough signatures to put an anti-factory farming measure before Ohio voters in November.
“We are grateful to the Ohio volunteers who put tremendous energy towards the effort to gather enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot,” said Pacelle. “Their effort led to this agreement that moves the ball forward on all those reforms while leading the state to address other serious animal welfare concerns and avoiding a costly and contentious campaign.”
Plenty of Spilled Milk to Cry Over for Dairymen Lured to U.S.
Wall Street Journal
Dutch Farmers Vent Udder Frustration With Mr. van Bakel as Plan Curdles
By LAUREN ETTER
WAUSEON, Ohio—From a strip mall in this town of 7,200, Willy van Bakel built a multimillion-dollar business bringing fellow Dutch dairy farmers to America. They're "dreamers" like himself, he says.
Mr. van Bakel's company, Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development, signed up 70 Dutch immigrants over the past decade for a package deal designed to help them start dairy farms here.
Typically, Mr. van Bakel helped clients sell their farms in the Netherlands and used the proceeds as seed money to finance bigger dairies with more cows in America.
Read more....
Ohioans for Humane Farms Petitions for Anti-Cruelty Measure
Ohioans for Humane Farms submitted a petition-including signatures from Ohio voters in 48 counties, demonstrating broad and regionally diverse support-to Ohio's Attorney General in support of
placing an anti-cruelty measure on the statewide November ballot.
The proposed measure would allow voters to require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment of farm animals,
enhance food safety, protect the environment and strengthen Ohio family farms. Read more...
A Mercy For Animals’ investigation has brought to light the issue of animal cruelty within the dairy industry to millions of
Americans for the first time.
Shocking images - - - -
Visit Mercy for Anumals.org for more information.
Issue 2 Passes: Agribusiness Rewrites Ohio's Constitution
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter
Washington, D.C. – “The Farm Bureau-sponsored campaign to change Ohio’s constitution and give industrialized agriculture control
over livestock issues succeeded with the passage of ballot Issue 2. Consumers, small family farmers and the neighbors of large,
industrialized animal operations are the losers."
“The grassroots coalition opposing Issue 2, Ohio Against Constitutional Takeover (Ohio ACT), faced a David and Goliath battle.
Outspent by a factor of 40 to 1, the coalition faced-off against an entrenched, well-financed and powerful industry.”
“Ohioans for Livestock Care Political Action Committee (PAC), a coalition representing major corporate agribusiness,
and headed by a Farm Bureau staff member, spent over $4 million on Issue 2. Concerned that the filthy and inhumane practices
of large-scale animal operations could be regulated under state law in the future, the ballot initiative changed the state’s
constitution to protect agribusiness. “Most Ohioans who voted in favor of Issue 2 would be shocked to know that the newly
created entity, the Livestock Care Standards Board, clears the way for factory-style animal operations to self-regulate.”
“Under the leadership of the Farm Bureau, agribusiness cynically lied to Ohio voters. They claimed to be protecting small
farmers and consumers, but the real beneficiaries are the large monopolistic corporations that control meat production. By
pouring millions of dollars into a media campaign misrepresenting the goals of Issue 2, the industry essentially “bought”
the right to regulate itself and to circumvent the Ohio constitution. “The Farm Bureau and their allies were so afraid of
the truth that they attempted to use their financial clout to silence their opponents’ criticisms and suppress their
constitutional right to freedom of speech. They pressured radio stations to drop Food & Water Watch’s ad opposing Issue 2.
They filed complaints with the state election commission in an attempt to intimidate us.
“The whole country is now watching Ohio to see what the new Livestock Care Standards Board will do with its power. Food & Water
Watch, and its Ohio ACT allies, will closely monitor this board, redoubling our efforts to get the state legislature and governor
to rein in large corporate agribusiness.”Food & Water Watch is a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations
around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through research, public and policymaker education,
media, and lobbying, we advocate policies that guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner and public,
rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers, and groundwater.
For more information, visit
www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
Press Release
Please read this October 25, 2009, Cleveland Plain Dealer article. It really sums up the terrible situation in Ohio with Issue 2.
By Tom Laskawy, Grist.org
Posted on October 12, 2009, Printed on October 12, 2009
NEW STATEWIDE CITIZENS ALLIANCE FORMED TO PUSH FOR REFORM OF LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY IN OHIO
Group Claims Current Ohio Law Facilitates Agri-Business and Fails to Protect Ohio Citizens. More information can be found at
this link.
The Mission of Wood County Citizens Opposed
to Factory Farms is to educate and inform the citizens
of Wood County about the health and environmental dangers
of mega-farms and to actively pursue solutions that will
protect our health, our water, and our land.
Who Protects Us From Factory Farms?
Read more....
Sept. 24 - Government Report Links Factory Farms to Harmful Air Emissions, Water Pollution - A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study released today says that large factory farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), can emit dangerous levels of airborne and waterborne pollutants. Rep. John Dingell of Michigan said, "This GAO study confirms that the Bush Administration's plan to exempt industrial sized animal feeding operations from emissions reporting requirements is nothing more than a favor to Big Agribusiness at the expense of the public health and communities living near these facilities." See full report.
TWO NEW REPORTS DOCUMENT RISKS, COSTS OF CAFOS:
1)POLLUTION, DISEASE RISKS FROM CAFOS. 2-yr study by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health cite risks from the huge amount of animal waste industrial farms generate, use of antibiotics by such facilities leading to the development of drug-resistant bacteria and the high concentration of animals on industrial farms increasing the risk of disease spreading. The report recommends phasing out the most inhumane production practices within 10 years; implementing federal performance-based standards to improve animal welfare; and expanding and reforming animal agriculture research. See the full report.
2)
CONFINED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS COST TAXPAYERS BILLIONS. The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for POLICIES THAT REDUCE CAFO SUBSIDIES AND ENCOURAGE MODERN, SUSTAINABLE MEAT, MILK AND EGG PRODUCTION. See "CAFOs Uncovered: The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations" for details of the policies that have allowed CAFOs to dominate U.S. meat and dairy production. "CAFOs aren't the natural result of agricultural progress, nor are they the result of rational planning or market forces," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in UCS's Food and Environment Program and author of the report. "Ill-advised policies created them, and it will take new policies to replace them with more sustainable, environmentally friendly production methods."
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