- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
An article in the San Diego Union Tribune over the weekend presented both sides of the debate over Proposition 2, the initiative on the November ballot that, if passed, will set new standards for farm animal confinement.
The story implied that UC Riverside poultry specialist emeritus Don Bell is an "opponent of the measure" when it followed a statement about concerns that Prop 2 will increase food prices with his quote.
According to the story, Bell said:
“Pennies, nickels, dimes and dollars add up as today's prices for everything (increase) –...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Bob Perkins, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, wrote an amusing opinion piece about Proposition 2 for today's Salinas Californian in which he speculated about the ability of Californians to decide what makes chickens happy.
Proposition 2 is an initiative on the November ballot aimed at improving farm animal welfare. For his column on the subject, Perkins spoke to UC Cooperative Extension poultry specialist emeritus Don Bell, who devoted a career to the study of poultry production.
In the world of farm animals, the story says, happiness is measured by animal...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Since I wrote about the Huffington Post blog aimed at drumming up votes for Prop. 2, I want to give the flip side from a column that ran in the California Farm Bureau's publication AgAlert.
Written by Jill Benson, vice president of a 100-year-old agriculture outfit in Modesto, the article said the initiative is "a risky, dangerous and costly measure -- because it threatens our food safety and public health by putting us at increased risk for Salmonella contamination and avian influenza (bird flu)."
She...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
With 85 days till the November election, cackling continues in the media over Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. The proposed law would bar veal crates, battery cages, sow gestation crates and any enclosure that prevents animals from turning around, standing up or spreading their wings.
Fresno Bee reporter Dennis Pollock called it a "study in cage fighting" when he reported on what he termed "dueling news releases."
In his column, Pollock wrote, "The headline on a release from the University of California: 'UC study: If passed, initiative likely to drive egg production out of state.' . . . the Humane...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Los Angeles Times today ran a story about hidden-camera video footage of a Turlock poultry farm. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and has now appeared in at least 40 newspaper and broadcast media outlets.
According to the Times story, the video was shot by an undercover investigator with the group Mercy for Animals and shows workers mistreating chickens at Gemperle Enterprises.
"What I saw on that video is not what our company does," owner Steve Gemperle was quoted in the article. "We do not accept any abuse of farm animals. It's against our values and morals."
According to...