Half-a-dozen farm, retail and agribusiness groups say a voter initiative in Massachusetts on animal welfare will drive up production costs and equate to an indirect food tax. The proposal, which had more than 2-to-1 support in a recent opinion poll, would end the use of sow crates, veal calf stalls and battery cages for egg-laying hens.
Only one farm in the state, the 3,000-hen Diemand Farm at Wendell, Mass., has battery cages, said the MassLive news site. Massachusetts has a comparatively small farm sector. Ballot Question 3 requires farms to provide enough space for animals to stand up, sit down, turn around and extend their limbs and would bar sale of eggs, pork and veal from outside the state unless produced under the same standards.
Question 3 is among four statewide referendums on the Nov. 8 ballot in Massachusetts. One of the other initiatives would legalize recreational marijuana use. If voters approve Question 3, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.
Opponents of Question 3, working together as Citizens Against Food Tax Injustice, say the initiative would force farmers to change their operating methods and drive up food prices. A leader of the group, Diane Sullivan, says the proposal “is, in fact, a food tax that seeks to steal affordable food choices that most of us make.” Other opponents say cage-free housing opens the possibility of bullying by dominant hens and sows.
Citizens for Farm Animal Protection, which conducted the petition drive that put Question 3 on the ballot, say the measure will prevent animal cruelty and reduce the risk of food-borne illness.
Proponents have a huge advantage in fundraising, according to state campaign finance records. The “Yes on 3” campaign has raised $1.7 million over the past two years, with the Humane Society of the United States as the largest donor at $1 million. The recently formed “No on Question 3” group has reported $75,100 in donations.
Also on the Nov. 8 ballot is an Oklahoma referendum on a right-to-farm amendment to the state constitution and a statewide vote in Montana on banning hunters from using animal snares and traps on state-owned public land.
Farm and ranch groups in Oklahoma say the right-to-farm amendment would protect them from attack by animal rights and anti-GMO activists. The Norman City Council adopted, 8-1, a resolution “informing city voters of the potential adverse effects” of Question 777 on the city’s power to regulate land use, said the Claremore Progress. Also this week, the Tulsa City Council approved a resolution urging residents to look into the negative consequences of the proposal, said KOKI-TV. Tulsa is the second-largest city and Norman is the third-largest city in Oklahoma.
“Other municipalities, such as Oklahoma City, Edmond, Midwest City, Choctaw and Afton have already pushed to publicly oppose the question,” said KOKI-TV.