The California Democratic Party (CDP) and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein this weekend endorsed an anti-cruelty ballot initiative that will appear on November's ballot, joining a snowballing list of endorsers across the state.
In a landslide vote, the CDP endorsed the YES vote on the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act—a modest measure that will provide the most basic protection to animals confined on industrial factory farms in California: that they merely be able to turn around and extend their limbs.
The initiative also received unanimous endorsements from the CDP's Resolutions Committee, Chicano-Latino Caucus, Labor Caucus, Filipino-American Caucus, Environmental Caucus, Irish-American Caucus, and Rural Caucus.
The initiative is sponsored by Californians for Humane Farms, a coalition including The Humane Society of the United States, Center for Food Safety, Farm Sanctuary, family farmers, veterinarians, public health professionals, and hundreds of other endorsements.
Facts
- The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will reduce the suffering of millions of animals confined on California factory farms. It will prevent three of the worst factory farm abuses: veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs.
- Caging animals in high densities leads to more animal waste and air and water pollution, as well as risk of disease transmission such as salmonella.
- Florida, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado have prohibited gestation crates. Arizona and Colorado have also prohibited veal crates. And the European Union has already legislated against all three of these abuses.
- In California and across the country, restaurants, producers, and retailers—including Safeway, Burger King, Carl's Jr. and Hardees, Smithfield Foods, San Francisco State University, and University of California-Berkeley—are moving away from supporting crates and cages on factory farms.
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Californians for Humane Farms is sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary, and other animal protection groups, family farmers, veterinarians, and public health professionals.
