New law puts animal care standards

in the hands of the ag community

 

 

Commissioner Richie Farmer

 

Legislation establishing a Livestock Care Standards Commission was signed into law in April. The law authorizes the commission to recommend on-farm livestock care standards to the Kentucky Board of Agriculture.

 

The legislation prevents local governments, with some exceptions, from having on-farm livestock or poultry care standards that exceed state standards. The commission will recommend standards for care of on-farm livestock to the Kentucky Board of Agriculture. The people who serve on the Livestock Care Standards Commission will be representatives of agricultural organizations who understand the needs and the challenges associated with making a living raising livestock.

 

The legislation does not preclude the authority of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners and the Kentucky Board of Agriculture and does not pre-empt local planning and zoning ordinances. Numerous agriculture industry groups, other organizations and individuals, including the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, supported the creation of the Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Commission.

 

I believe the best thing about this legislation is that it creates a process for setting rules based on established scientific standards rather than emotion stirred up by animal rights activists, such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Livestock account for $3 billion in farm cash receipts in a normal year, so this measure will do much to protect a key industry in Kentucky’s economy.

 

The activists aren’t giving up. In Ohio, HSUS is backing a petition that would ask voters there this November to require the new board to adopt certain minimum standards in regard to farm animal treatment and food safety, according to DVM Newsmagazine. As the largest beef cattle state east of the Mississippi River, Kentucky can expect more pressure from HSUS and other so-called animal rights groups.

 

Restrictions imposed on you by the actions of a few extremists could make our farms less productive and more expensive to operate. Your profit margins would suffer. You would be at a competitive disadvantage against producers in other states and countries that wouldn’t have such costly standards.

 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I believe farmers know best when it comes to raising and caring for their animals. This legislation puts the responsibility for establishing on-farm livestock care standards on the agricultural community, where it belongs. I commend the General Assembly for taking this action. Farmers take care of their animals, and the General Assembly took care of our farmers.