Where have all the livestock gone?
I hope this is not the question we will be asking in the future.
As many of you know, I have written numerous posts about California’s Prop 12, which will take effect on January 1, 2024. Briefly, California’s Prop 12 was a ballot initiative that dictates specific livestock requirements to sell meat or eggs within their borders. This affects all livestock agriculture outside of California.
As a pig farmer, this is not good news. The requirements revolve around living space requirements for certain livestock animals. In our case, the requirements are for sow housing. Prop 12 isn’t about animal welfare as most farmers will tell you. Keep in mind that we work closely with a veterinarian to help us give the utmost care for our animals.
So, why don’t we change our barns to meet the new requirements?
For many farmers, the required changes would be cost-prohibitive to meet Prop 12 standards.
After hearing about these changes, the first thing that came to mind was this is not the end game. It will not stop here. Do you think animal rights activists will be satisfied with Prop 12? Not a chance.
Kevin Schultz of The Farmer Magazine states we are seeing the beginning efforts to end ALL animal livestock in certain areas (Sonoma County) of California. Think this will not happen here? Only if we don’t say or do anything.
Unfortunately, animal rights activists will continue to push their agenda until there is NO animal agriculture anywhere. That is their end game. Currently, they are pursuing a ballot initiative for 2024 (the same way Prop 12 became law). They are nearing the number of signatures needed to put it on the ballot. Animal rights activists saw how successful they were with Prop 12, and are like a train picking up speed to the final destination of NO agriculture livestock.
Just as Kevin stated, this initiative will creep its way into our walls here in the Midwest. We need to take these efforts seriously and stop it. Understand, these efforts will devastate all of rural America, not just farmers.
We can’t stand by and let that happen.
