Dive Brief:
- Massachusetts could become the first state to mandate confinement procedures for food animals if voters support Ballot Question 3, Meatingplace reported.
- The ballot initiative would "prohibit breeding pigs, calves raised for veal and egg-laying hens from being held in confined spaces, defined as that which 'prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely' with exceptions for temporary holding for transportation and other purposes," according to Meatingplace. The law would also prohibit the sale of products made from animals confined against these regulations.
- Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has already said he would vote for Ballot Question 3, according to Boston.com. But Beacon Hill Patch reported that the regulations would impact only one farm: Wendell-based family-run Diemand Farm, which raises Thanksgiving turkeys, beef cattle and chickens for eggs and meat.
Dive Insight:
While Ballot Question 3 has received widespread support from the Massachusetts governor and voters, not all are in support of this initiative.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the primary backer of the campaign supporting this ballot effort. The pro-Question-3 group is a $1.7 million coalition of several other organizations, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and United Farm Workers. HSUS has long campaigned against animal cruelty and for cage-free environments for food animals.
The opposition campaign, "No on 3," led by The Citizens Against Food Tax Injustice, claims that the initiative is unnecessary in this particular state because Massachusetts is not an industrial stronghold, like Iowa or Nebraska. They say the issue could have the unintended consequence of raising the annual price of eggs, and food prices in general, which could disproportionately impact low-income families.
Local farms, like Diemand Farm, could also be disproportionately impacted. The cost of switching to cage-free operations could threaten their profitability to the point of business failure.
Other recent reports question whether cage-free environments are the safest option for food animals. Opponents of cage-free operations argue that they can cause diseases to be more easily transmitted among the animals. The animals' environment can also become unsanitary due to the buildup of droppings on the floor, which are difficult to clean, and ammonia in the air.
If the bill does pass, the next question will be whether other states will take up the cage-free regulations initiative. The movement has already received widespread support from manufacturers, foodservice companies and restaurants in addition to animal welfare activist groups and many consumers. It's questionable whether farmers and food animal processors will be on board, however. They may invest substantially in lobbying against such measures, as other companies and trade groups have done for local soda taxes and GMO labeling initiatives.