Serving Bread

It’s not that I don’t like animals and I have a level of sympathy toward combating animal cruelty, but I will be voting no on Proposition 2. This measure “prohibits with certain exceptions the confinement on a farm of pregnant pigs, calves raised for veal, and egg-laying hens in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.” (from the Official Voter Guide)

There are several reasons why I will not be supporting this proposition (in addition to my bias toward voting no on propositions). This proposition highlights the flaws in this direct-democracy system. Voters are asked to make decisions on areas that most of us have little or no expertise in. Rather than have our elected representatives hold hearings and deliberate why chickens should be given the right to “turn around freely,” we voters must wade through the facts and myths to figure out whether this law is necessary.

(I will acknowledge that you as a voter are very much educated in animal husbandry. I recognize that you know how eggs are graded (A, AA, Jumbo, Large). You can taste the difference between free-range chickens and regular chickens, and do not mind paying a little extra to make sure that your food (when it was alive) enjoyed luxuries that some human beings around the world may not necessarily enjoy. But you have to acknowledge that most voters are not as informed as you are.)

Animal agriculture is a major industry in California and our state laws already prohibit cruelty to animals. In addition to the laws on the books that serve to outline how farms and individuals can raise animals, the industry has it’s own set of guidelines to improve care and handling of animals.

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