i'm not a political person by nature, but i felt i should say that i'm voting yes on prop 2 this november. some people may question laws surrounding protection of animals used for food and if they are necessary. yes i understand that the animals are doomed to die and end up in my carne asada burrito, but there is a humane way of keeping the animals until then. there are two ways i look at this: #1 God placed man in charge of the animals, with that i believe comes some respondsibility for them, #2 are you sure you really want to eat that carne asada burrito? i mean, do you know where that animal has been??
here's a fun video for you all. :) i hope that those of you who live in california will visit the website and learn a little something about proposition 2.
http://www.yesonprop2.com
chickens dig it too!
8 comments:
while I whole heartedly agree with humane treatment of animals, even those whom end up in my juevos con carne, I personally know chicken farmers and dairy farmers and this would devastate them. these are real families just trying to make it in this state which has gotten so expensive, and yes, they use conventional farming methods like caged chickens and such. I wish as consumers, we would pressure the market more and only buy those products that have been raised and farmed ethically, thus putting pressure on the conventional mom and pop farm ops to take advantage of the opportunity (since folks like me are forking out the dough for those products - and not even just because they are humane, but because they are better and more nutritious). so I'm still undecided. :(
save the animals or save the people? both? hmmmm.....
Yes, Lauren is correct in revealing the detrimental effects that the passage of prop. 2 would have on farmers. Don't buy into the commercials with veterinarians talking about how they are voting for prop.2, while images of cows being pushed buy forklifts and other gory images are displayed intermittently.
Yes, inhumane treatment of animals is horrible, and it does happen. However, farmers do not have the land nor do they have the money to allow animals to roam freely (free-range). Thus, animal farming will be shipped to Mexico, where they have MUCH less stringent ethical standards on the treatment of animals. Plus, outbreaks of salmonella and other diseases will be more common if there are an abundance of free-range animals. People must realize that farmers are trying to feed hundreds of millions of individuals. Farmers have to make use of every square inch of land that they have. Gone are the days of bucolic life, where animals can run about while the sun smiles brightly on them.
If you want to have and sort of meat on your plate in the future, Vote NO on 2. I am serious. I do not think people understand the ramifications of this proposition.
Vote NO on 2!
-Brian
Everyone, please read the pros and cons for yourselves. Cut and paste the URL below. The farmers know what they are talking about.
http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/pdf-guide/Props/arguments-rebuttals/prop2-arguments-pg18-19.pdf
Jenny, I hope that my above posts don't offend you. I just want others to be aware of the other side-especially since there is such an abundance of Yes on Prop. 2 material out there.
-Brian :)
brian, no worries. :) i agree that it's important to always be aware of the pros and cons on every issue. if prop 2 passes, farmers would be given six years to comply with the new standards and make the necessary arrangements.
this proposition does not demand the need for free-range animals. the animals can still live in cages, it's the size of the cage that they're concerned with. prop 2 is merely trying to set down what is or isn't a good size for animals, such as the animal being able to sit, turn around, stretch limbs etc.
small caged facilities are actually 20 times more likely to have a possible salmonella infestation than cage-free farms. often cages are stacked one above the other, with chickens sometimes covered in other's poo. it's gross, but true.
as far as shipping animals to mexico, this is what Dan Sumner, (an author of an anti-Prop 2 report) said: "I personally think that's unlikely...Mexico doesn't produce much feed corn and that's why Mexico isn't a logical place for production." the odds are more likely that the animals would instead be shipped to another state, however arizona passed a similar law in 2006 and that did not happen.
Good answers Jenny. Yes, thankfully the passage of prop.2 will not require farmers to have free-range animals. Nevertheless, all of the commercials, including the YouTube one, sure leave the impression that this will be the case.
I suppose that the arguments of food safety and shipping business to Mexico depend on the observer.
For example, the Farm Bureau notes that the passage of prop. 2 would ban almost all modern egg production in California. It also notes that prop. 2 "undermines California's scientifically developed, modern egg production systems, which are safe, sound and healthy for hens and humans alike. Those systems purposely house egg-laying hens indoors to protect them from contact with migratory and wild birds that can carry Bird Flu and other diseases, and are designed to keep hens from their own waste, as bird feces can contain Salmonella bacteria." Moreover, California currently has the strictest food safety rules for egg production in the U.S., which have been credited with preventing Salmonella. Out-of-state and foreign egg producers, like Mexico, will become California's defacto egg suppliers if prop.2 passes. Lastly, the humane treatment of farm animals is already required by California law.
Prop. 2 was placed on the ballot by a Washington, D.C. based special interest group as part of a nationwide effort to ban current safe and humane farming practices, particularly regarding housing requirements for egg-laying hens. After failing to enact these bans in six other states, this group has ignored national and statewide experts, and now it is attempting to pass its failed reforms in California.
Several prominent opponents to prop.2 can be found at: www.safecaliforniafood.com
Among them are a multitude veterinarians, many of which come from UC Davis, one of the top veterinary schools around.
Prop. 2 will truly hurt the economy, and I believe that this is why so many farmers are worried about it passing. I guess that is why I am so fired up about it as well.
Thank you for letting me rant on your space.
this (which stirs up division) is why i don't vote...and mainly eat kosher meats.
why don't you vote valerie?
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