Agricultural News
Kay Johnson Smith Believes HSUS Wants Prop B Language to Extend to Farm Animals
Fri, 19 Nov 2010 5:44:59 CST
A ballot initiative in Missouri drew a great deal of attention from all segments of the livestock industry across the United States earlier this month. Proposition "B"- or Prop B for short, was also called the Puppy Mill Initiative. Kay Johnson Smith with the Animal Ag Alliance says it was about puppies this time- next time, it could be about farm animals.
Missourians for the Protection of Dogs led the effort for the certified measure that proposed adopting new rules for dog-breeders, including capping the number of dogs that are used for breeding purposes, require resting periods between breeding and establish other requirements. The measure required that dog-breeders only be able to have 50 breeding dogs and required them to feed those animals daily and regularly. They were the front organization for the HSUS, the national group that has been pursuing their animal rights agenda in state ballot votes over the last few years, with great success.
One of the national groups that has been watching the HSUS efforts with concern is the Animal Agriculture Alliance. Their Executive Director, Kay Johnson Smith, says they are disappointed that yet another state has fallen victim to legislation introduced by animal rights extremists. Despite opposition from 103 of the state's 116 districts, this expensive campaign to regulate dog breeders in Missouri led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) narrowly succeeded on November 2.
On their website, the Alliance says animal agriculture needs to beware- "Agriculture has much to learn from Proposition B's disappointing results. Farmers and ranchers in every state must act now to protect their livelihoods by forming or strengthening state agriculture coalitions and building relationships with other related industries. Proactive community outreach efforts should utilize a variety of tactics, including traditional and social media, to reach urban consumers.
"Agriculture groups must understand that the threat to their way of life - and to our nation's food security - is far from over."
We continue to discuss this subject with Kay Johnson Smith on our latest Beef Buzz- this is the second and final installment of a conversation that we have had with Kay on Prop B.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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