http:\/\/www.wapakdailynews.com\/content\/view\/96930\/1\/<\/font><\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\nProducer problem
Monday, 09 March 2009
By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
PIQUA – Forcing Ohio livestock regulations onto producers is the first
step in a national animal rights organization’s attempt to eliminate
livestock production and to create a meat-free, vegan-oriented America.
That was the message which was delivered to hundreds of farmers who
attended Saturday’s 18th annual 8th Congressional District Farm Forum at
Edison Community College.
The event, which is hosted by House Minority Leader John Boehner,
R-West Chester, puts experts from different farm sectors into a discussion
about the current and future issues facing farmers across the region.
Speakers in this year’s event included Boehner, Renewable Fuels
Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen, Ohio Poultry Association
Executive Vice President Jim Chakeres, Ohio Corn Growers Association
Executive Director Dwayne Siekman, National Turkey Federation President Joel
Brandenberger and Policy Directions Inc. Senior Vice President Steve
Kopperud.
This year’s topic dealt with ethanol and animal rights, but for the
vast majority of the event, the topic of animal rights – specifically the
recent actions by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – dominated
the discussions. <\/font><\/strong> <\/p>\n Two notable speakers painted a bleak future for Ohio livestock farmers
as national Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle prepares to
initiate a variety of livestock farming regulations across the state. In a
concerning speech, Kopperud said Ohio farmers should be warned that the
Humane Society has the manpower, funding and ability to bring about great
change in how Ohio farms.
“I’ve been watching and fighting them for 22 years, and what I’ve seen
is the emergence of one single organization which has decided that by itself
that it will shift the way America produces food, shift what America eats
for food and will do it all in the name of animal protection,” Kopperud
said.
Kopperud said Pacelle’s immediate plans include eliminating poultry
cages, gestation stalls and calf crates throughout Ohio.
Kopperud said Pacelle plans to bring legislation, or issue a state
referendum, to bring an end to the farming practices. If the practices are
banned, Kopperud said it will bring irreversible changes to Ohio livestock
farming.
“It will basically shift the way we produce food in this country to
the way it was in the 1930s,” Kopperud said. “If we return to animal
agriculture to the 1930s, we’re toast. Three-quarters of this country cannot
support crops, two-thirds of this planet cannot support crops. You cannot
feed the existing population based on a vegetable-based diet.”
While Pacelle’s motives may not currently seem like he is driving a
full-fledged restriction on animal production, Kopperud warned the
organization is only just initiating the first steps in a nationwide attack.
Ohio, he said, will be used as a perfect example. If the changes in
regulations are put forth, other states would likely follow, and more
changes would be imposed.
“The Humane Society of the United States say they aren’t pushing for a
vegan society, however, if you cut the crap you’ll find they are in a
PETA-kind of agenda,” Kopperud said. “If you think you can sit down with an
animal rights group and give them something and they go away, you are
absolutely insane.”
During his keynote address at the end of the forum, Ohio Farm Bureau
Federation President Brent Porteus echoed Kopperud’s comments, saying
Pacelle is “gearing up for an assault on Ohio.”
Porteus said Pacelle told him blatantly that the changes in the crates
and stalls are inevitable, saying Pacelle will take the fight to the people
who do not understand the science of animal husbandry.
“The Humane Society of the United States has a clear-cut goal that
makes producing meat products illegal,” Porteus said. “They want to put
livestock farmers out of business on their way to creating a meat-free
American society.”
Kopperud gave one final ultimatum to all those in attendance Saturday,
saying Ohio farmers must come together, get public and put a face on the
livestock industry. If they do not, he said the consequences could be
drastic.
“This is a collective threat,” Kopperud told those in attendance. “If
all of the Ohio agricultural community does not sit down and figure out a
collective way to stop this right now, you will all wind up as crop
producers.”<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ohio has always been a farm state. I remember moving from Brooklyn, New York, to Ohio so my father could have race horses and more important play the horses. On my first bus ride to a new school, I looked through the window and saw my first cow. I can remember the thrill to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,4],"tags":[47],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rattlebridge.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}