I’m not one to watch a whole lot of news; however, I do read the newspaper and subscribe to a few newsletters regarding the different sectors in agriculture. Perhaps one of the biggest stories in the past week was the resignation of Wayne Pacelle, now the former CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The resignation comes came after pressure from donors following an internal investigation of HSUS which identified three complaints of sexual harassment by Pacelle.
For those of you that remember back in 2010, Pacelle brokered a deal with Governor Strickland to remove an animal welfare issue from the ballot and maintain the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. Most of us will remember Mr. Pacelle as an activist that staunchly opposed animal agriculture and revenue generator for the organization that was described once to me as, “PETA in suits”. While agriculture says ‘good riddance’ to Mr. Pacelle, I do think this is an opportune time to reflect on the 2010 landmark deal and the regulations since passed by the Livestock Care Standards Board.
With Pacelle having led successful campaigns against the egg, swine, and dairy industries in states such as California, Arizona, and Florida, it was time for Ohio to step to the plate. In a mostly unprecedented move Ohio commodity groups, Farm Bureau, and the state government took a proactive response in protecting the interests of the state’s livestock producers against what would have been a long, costly battle in trying to prevent the passing of an HSUS ballot initiative.
As for the regulations put in place, the delayed timelines for implementation of facility changes was an integral piece of the agreement. For example, by allowing swine producers until 2025 to make the full transition to group gestation housing, producers were able to capitalize on their return on investment for existing facilities and equipment. Additionally, veal feeders had until January 1 of this year to get their facilities retrofitted to group calf housing, a change that pushed by their own commodity association in addition to the Care Standards.
Those opposed to the deal focused on food costs or simply wanted to put up a fight. There was some concern as to what the changes to poultry housing would do the cost of eggs, at the time. Recently, if you have been to the grocery store, eggs have been near record low prices over the last year. This suggests that an increase in space per bird does not directly translate into increased food costs due to other factors in play.
I look at the agreement between HSUS and Ohio as a compromise, where both sides got some to most of what they wanted. Looking on the bright side of things if we ever have to reevaluate our livestock practices from an animal welfare point of view, Mr. Pacelle likely will not be involved. I’ll end this week with a quote from Napoleon Bonapate, “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.”
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Garth Ruff,
Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator
OSU Henry County Extension