Vote against animal confinement in California worries farmers across the nation

The passing of Proposition 2 in California, which creates new livestock-welfare guidelines, has farmers in other states worried that their states will soon be targeted for similar measures. Livestock industry groups nationwide contributed millions of dollars in an unsuccessful bid to defeat the measure, which bans the use of sow stalls and hen cages now in general use.

Opponents say the measure appeals to voters' sympathy, but doesn't reflect the realities of farm life. Exprts say "confining pregnant sows in stalls prevents fighting, ensures the hogs get adequate feed and saves labor," writes Philip Brasher for the Des Moines Register. "Similarly, caging hens is said to protect birds from each other while also protecting eggs from contamination." Also, caging results in higher egg production, because fewer eggs are broken, resulting in lower prices.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote on his blog that the measure reflected a national need for stricter regulations. "No state in the U.S. and no agribusiness titan anywhere in the nation can overlook this mandate: People do not want their farm animals treated with wanton cruelty," he wrote. But Robert Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, says that the measure "highlights the need for us in agriculture to frankly talk about what we do, put the face of the farmer on it." (Read more)