One devil won and one devil lost. Big Ag against the HSUS. It was never clear to me which evil was greater in this case but now it is a done deal, Ohio voters have passed Issue 2 and modified their Constitution:
The voters in Ohio passed, overwhelmingly, a statewide constitutional referendum known as “Issue 2,” which creates a board of experts to oversee development of livestock care standards in the state. The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board will establish standards for the care, treatment and welfare of livestock and poultry raised in Ohio, based on ethics and science. The board will be chaired by the Ohio director of Agriculture and will include three family farmers, two veterinarians, a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, two members representing statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and two consumer representatives.
-National Hog Farmer Magazine
People in other states should watch what happens in Ohio as a result of Issue 2 passing and start thinking about this. What are the good elements of Issue 2 that can be used to defend against the threats of the HSUS and other extremist anti-farm groups.
Evil is as evil does.
This is so scary. What’s going to happen when we just aren’t “allowed” to grow our own food at all anymore? Prohibition didn’t work so well. I wonder what “bootleg chicken eggs” will taste like?
Thanks for your tireless efforts.
Beth
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Comment Beth — November 15, 2009 @ 4:23 pm
Perhaps like a fine Scotch. No, more likely like grandma’s special medicine. :)
Comment walterj — November 15, 2009 @ 5:02 pm
House Bill 414 is the enabling legislation for the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board which is currently in the Ag and Natural Resources Committee. I strongly urge all those who own livestock to read this bill.
All horses, regardless of the purpose for which they are raised, are included under the authority and rules of this board. I wonder what that has to do with “safe local food”? But that is not the biggest surprise. The minimum $500,000 annual budget is quite larger than the estimated $100,000 to $170,000 that we were told back in October. A commercial feed tax will be the source of plunder.
The most alarming section of this bill is 904.04 (B) which grants the director and those under him the authority to enter onto any private property to inspect or investigate, obtain samples, and examine or copy records without a search warrant. This seems like a clear violation of our Fourth Amendment right, along with our State Constitution Article I section 14.
This board will have; legislative power to create standards (904.03), judicial powers to determine violators (904.04,) and the authority to enforce rules and levy penalties (904.04 (6). There is little mention of the limits of this board other than; they cannot create a statewide animal ID system, and they have no authority over animal research facilities or certain food processing plants.
There is no protection for those who hold to certain religious practices (such as the Amish), nothing to protect the organic farm industry from forced vaccinations, no mention of an appeals process for those who wish to challenge the decisions of this boards, no statement that livestock are considered as private property and no mention of an annual spending cap.
HB 414 needs to protect the rights and liberties of Ohio’s farmers, not jeopardize them.
Clint Zeigler
Ohio Freedom alliance
Mount Gilead
Comment henry buehler — January 30, 2010 @ 12:27 am