WAG the DOG BLOG

Proposition 2 is a moderate measure that helps prevent cruel and inhumane treatment of animals. This effectively ends the practice of cramming farm animals into cages so small that they cannot turn around or move about.

If you voted YES on Prop 2 you voted to:

Prevent animal cruelty
Support family farmers
Protect the environment
Promote food safety

What difference does this really make? Is it cruel and inhumane to confine veal calves, breeding pigs, egg laying hens and the like in cages barely larger than their bodies? Calves are tethered by the neck and put in pens so small they cannot move; pigs in severe confinement try to bite through the metal bars that contain them; hens become injured and trapped and can be impaled in their wire cages.

I would never force my pets to live in filthy, claustrophobic cages for their entire lives and we should not force farm animals to endure such inhuman, miserable conditions. If you feel you need to jump up and down and call me a hippie-vegetarian, I should explain that not only am I not a hippie-vegetarian, but I possibly eat enough meat to make up for my vegetarian girlfriend!

I very strongly believe that all animals, even those raised for food, deserve our appreciation, respect and humane treatment.

Everyone who voted yes, it is time to celebrate! In an effort to make this a kinder, gentler planet to live on, you have made California, one BIG animal agriculture state change its ways. I thank all the people that worked so hard, every step of the way, to make this change for those who cannot speak for themselves.

For those of you who may have voted no, know that food quality and safety will be improved with better farming practices. Better food directly improves your quality of life. The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effect they have on groundwater due to untreated waste. Prop 2 was supported by the Consumer Federation of America, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Episcopal and Methodist church leaders, Republican and Democratic elected officials, the Pew Commission on animal agriculture, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and California Veterinarians. Similar laws were already passed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Oregon but with such a large animal agriculture here in California, it was really important to enact something here as well.