Agriculture Safety Standards [press release from State Sen. Keith Faber]

In recent years, consumers have become more discerning about where their food comes from. In fact, a 2008 Consumer Reports survey found that though a majority of Americans view the overall food supply as safe, 48 percent believe it is not as safe as in years past, and they have become more concerned about the safety of imported foods.

As a state where Agriculture is the number one industry, contributing more than $98 billion to Ohio’s overall economy and employing one in six Ohioans, the safety and quality of food raised, grown and processed here is a primary concern, especially to the farmers who make their living off the land. That’s why the Ohio General Assembly has been working closely with representatives of Ohio’s agriculture industry to place a ballot issue before voters this November that seeks to establish a new statewide board of experts to focus specifically on standards to govern the care and safety of Ohio’s livestock and poultry commodities.

I was proud to broker a compromise between the Ohio House and Senate to ensure bipartisan passage of Senate Joint Resolution 6. Sponsored by my colleagues Bob Gibbs of Medina, a Republican, and Jason Wilson, a Democrat from Columbiana. The resolution places a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot that if passed, would establish a 13-member Ohio Livestock Standards Board made up of the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, who will chair the Board; ten members appointed by the Governor with the advise and consent of the Senate, representing family farms, food safety experts, farmer organizations, licensed veterinarians, academia, consumers and county humane societies, and two additional family farmers, one each appointed by the Speaker of the Ohio House and the President of the Ohio Senate. This makeup is balanced politically and provides a framework for ensuring a science-based approach to regulating livestock agriculture in Ohio.

Those who work with livestock and poultry know that good care of animals is good business. Proper animal husbandry requires nutritious feed and fresh water, appropriate facilities and shelter, prevention and timely treatment of sickness or injury and proper handling and transportation. Stressed animals don’t produce as much and consumers don’t want to purchase their food from those who mistreat their animals. The Board would have the authority to establish uniform, statewide standards governing the care and well-being of livestock and poultry in Ohio, taking into consideration factors such as agricultural best management practices, biosecurity, disease prevention, animal morbidity and mortality data, food safety practices and the protection of local, affordable food supplies for consumers.

Through this effort, Ohio is taking a proactive approach to food safety and in my opinion, doing it the right way by relying on the collective talents of those who work in and have a stake in Ohio’s food supply. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in other states and their agriculture industries are suffering because of it.

California voters recently approved Proposition 2, a ballot initiative backed by animal rights groups, which, beginning in 2015, would make it a criminal offense if farmers in the state do not follow certain rules for confining pigs, calves and hens. Leading the effort is the radical Humane Society of the United States, which is not to be confused with local humane societies. Their name may sound gentile, but it masks a radical agenda that seems more concerned about ending traditional hunting, closing zoos and turning everyone into vegetarians rather than about ensuring safely-raised livestock and food quality. Their efforts dismiss years of experience by farmers around the United States regarding how housing is connected to the ability to ensure a healthy diet for animals and to keep them safe from disease and predators. Scientists at the University of California-Davis concluded that under Prop 2, the cost of production for eggs in California would jump by at least 20 percent. Other livestock industries will also be severely impacted as a result of the new mandates.

The Humane Society has worked to pass similar proposals in Oregon, Arizona, Maine, Colorado and Florida, and the group was targeting Ohio for the 2010 ballot. If successful, this effort could dramatically increase costs for Ohio farmers, reduce the availability of locally-produced food and have a detrimental effect on the future of our agriculture industry and the state’s economy.

Agriculture is a rapidly changing industry and Ohio must be prepared to adapt and take advantage of new technologies and evolving best management practices to ensure its continued success. The proposed Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board will provide a way to engage consumers in the discussion and regulation of best industry practices and to better educate the general public about Ohio’s efforts to protect the food it produces.

For more information about SJR 6 or any other bills pending before the Ohio General Assembly, please feel free to contact me via e-mail: sd12@senate.state.oh.us, via phone: (614) 466-7505 or via mail: State Senator Keith Faber, Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio 43215.