VespertineCalifornia Politics Millions of pigs, calves, and chickens are forced to spend their lives confined in spaces so small they can't even turn around. Gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages prevent animals from performing natural behaviors, thus causing injuries and significant physical and psychological stress. Many of us who consume animals and animal byproducts either don’t think about or don’t care where our food comes from, the process involved, and ultimately the price that the animals pay. Ten years ago, a ballot measure was passed that banned the confinement of veal, pigs, and egg-laying hens in spaces too small to allow animals to turn around, lie down, or stand up and extend their limbs (Proposition 2, 2008). What this proposition did not do was set specific requirements for those spaces. Proposition 2 did, however, pave the way for Proposition 12, or the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, which set specific space requirements for the cages and spaces that farm animals reside within.
In the November 2018 elections, Proposition 12, officially titled the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act (and also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative), was passed in the state of California. This proposition would prohibit the confinement of certain farm animals in cages or spaces below a specific square footage, as well as the sales of animal meat and animal byproducts from animals living in aforementioned spaces not meeting space requirements. In regards to what animals, it prevents baby veal calves, mother pigs, and egg-laying hens from being crammed inside tiny cages for their entire lives. The act intends to eliminate inhumane and unsafe products from the abused animals from the California marketplace. It is also argued that the act reduces the risk of people being sickened by food poisoning and factory farm pollution, and helps family farmers. The official ballot summary states that egg-laying hens are required to be raised in a cage-free environment after December 31st, 2021; it would prohibit certain commercial sales of specified meat and egg products derived from animals confined in cages or spaces that do not comply with the requirements set by the act; It defines sales violations as unfair competition; It creates good faith defense for sellers relying upon written certification by suppliers that meat and egg products comply with new confinement standards; It also requires State of California to issue implementing regulation (California Secretary of State, "Official Voter Information Guide November 2018," August 21, 2018). While 62.66% of voters were in favor of Proposition 12 and it was approved to become a state statute, that still leaves 37.34% of voters who voted against the proposition. In addition to a portion of voting citizens, there were multiple organizations who stood in opposition to the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. The Californians Against Cruelty, Cages, and Fraud argued that “Proposition 12 legalizes the cruel cages Californians overwhelmingly voted to prohibit ten years ago” (California Secretary of State, "Official Voter Information Guide November 2018," August 21, 2018). Jamie Johansson, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, said, “All Proposition 12 does is allow trial lawyers to file predatory lawsuits against egg farmers, who provide some of the healthiest food on the planet. Proposition 12 would push egg prices higher in the state that already suffers from the nation’s highest poverty rate” (The Mercury News, “Proposition 12: Cage-free eggs, more room for farm animals on ballot,” October 20, 2018). Beginning in 2020, Proposition 12 was set to ban the confinement of calves (young domestic cows) in areas with less than 43 square feet of usable floor space per calf, and egg-laying hens (chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) in areas with less than 1 square foot of usable floor space per hen. Beginning in 2022, Proposition 12 is set to ban the confinement of breeding pigs and their immediate offspring in areas with less than 24 square feet of usable floor space per pig, and egg-laying hens in areas other than indoor or outdoor cage-free housing systems based on the United Egg Producers' 2017 cage-free guidelines. These guidelines define cage-free housing as areas that provide 1.0 to 1.5 square feet of usable floor space per hen and allow hens to move around inside the area (California Attorney General, "Initiative 17-0026," August 29, 2017). The Sacramento (local) and United States (national) elections had little to no impact on the issue of farm animal confinement, and the issue was primarily impacted by the California (state) election. The issue was not specifically mentioned during the last election by any running candidates, however it was on the California state ballot as Proposition 12. In terms of the fiscal impact of the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, there will be potentially be a decrease in state and local tax revenues from farm businesses, which would not likely exceed the low millions of dollars annually. In addition, the potential state costs could range up to ten million dollars annually, in order to enforce the measure (The fiscal impact statement for a California ballot initiative authorized for circulation is prepared by the state's legislative analyst and director of finance).
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AuthorUndergraduate student generated content. Blog posting and updating done by Kristina Flores Victor, Assistant Professor of Political Science at CSUS Archives
March 2020
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