Independent Editor,
There’s almost no greater act of cruelty than giving someone rights and then taking them away. But that’s what “Big Ag” in Michigan is doing. In 2009, with the backing of our state’s agriculture industry, Michigan passed a law that promised better conditions for animals on farms by 2020. See, on many agricultural operations it has long been standard practice to lock animals in tiny, immobilizing cages and crates. But the practice has fallen out of favor with consumers, who rightfully want animals in the food supply to be treated better.
So in 2009, we passed a law that would do away with extreme confinement, giving farmers 11 years to comply. Although “Big Ag” supported the law at the time, now it is working to overturn it by pushing a different bill, SB 174. Instead of engaging in this heinous act of cruelty – having promised better conditions for animals and now trying to strip them of those protections – “Big Ag” in Michigan should be working to modernize their operations to give animals better lives. And our state’s lawmakers should uphold the law of the land and reject SB 174.
Kate Brindle, Owosso