Ron's Journal Archive
Help with questions on State Issue Two -- Animal Care Standards
10/30/2009
State Issue Two is being proposed to voters by a strong bi-partisan majority of our state legislators in cooperation with the vast majority of Ohio's farm and agribusiness community. In many ways it is a proactive self-regulation aimed at strengthening our state's focus on best practice livestock care standards in order to reduce the risk of more extreme animal rights proposals that have been knocking on Ohio's door for awhile now.
Because this proposal amounts to a preemptive regulatory move, it puts some of our better thinking voters in the the questioning mode. I certainly don't blame them, as I've wrestled with many of their questions when considering the resolution that placed this question on next Tuesday ballot.
Here are a few of those questions, with my response:
- Why does this have to go into our state constitution?
This is the strongest position from which to defend our agricultural community in Ohio from attack. If the board were set up only in state law, it would be at greater risk of being trumped by an animal rights constitutional amendment initiative as several other states have already experienced.
There are a series of boards and commissions already in place in Ohio's state constitution, so this is not a precedent-setting change if this is voted in.
- Isn't this just more government regulation?
In an ideal world current forms of regulation could simply be continued. However this approach hopes to stay close to the current level of regulation. This is a compromise approach with the idea of proceeding in a common sense direction that would be supportive of our agricultural communities.
- How much can we trust state government to appointment reasonable people to the standards board?
A governor would actually appoint 11 of the 13 members of the livestock care standards board. However, we can expect some checks on this appointing process. First, several of the appointments are actually pre-designated by their position. for example, one of the members must be the dean of agriculture of an Ohio college. This tremendously limits the governor's selection. Second, these appointment must be approved by a majority of the Ohio Senate, providing a check. Third, not more than seven can be of the same political party. Fourth, the legislature is likely to set up staggered terms from some of the members to increase the probability that more than one governor will be making appointments over time. Fifth, the most likely scenario is that any governor will be be influence by agriculture-friending organizational recommendations for appointments, and are going to want to make appointments that show support for agriculture in our state.
At the end of the day there is still some level of risk that appointments to such a board could go counter to the interests of agricultural community, and thus threaten the viability of our home-grown food sources. This is a calculated risk that this approach presents a significantly lower risk than what might be advanced and possibly adopted, based on the experience of several others states to date.
- How much regulation will this place on the farm community?
This is not prescribed in this amendment. It will be determined by legislative action implementing the amendment, should it be approved by voters. My expectation is that the standards board would set standards that would be followed by the farm community as a matter of best practice without constant inspection or governmental oversight. The Department of Agriculture would have responsibility for enforcement if complaints or concerns are not resolved at the local level.
- What are the risks this state agency could morph into an extremist direction similar to the groups it is designed to balance against?
I would say that the risks are much lower than if we wait to see if our citizens are talked into an arrangement proposed by animal rights organizations. But I think it is true that there is some level of risk that a state agency could become extreme at some point down the road. In some ways it's like take a vaccination to avoid a known problem, but knowing that there is some risk of a negative complication from the vaccination itself. If this happens it will probably be because citizens support for agriculture in Ohio has fallen off, at which point viable agriculture in Ohio would be threatened on all fronts.
Paid for by Citizens For Amstutz, Matthew Hochstetler Treasurer, 4456 Woodlake Trail, Wooster, OH 44691