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State Representative Jim Buchy
Say No to HSUS,
Defend Agriculture—Eat Traditional
In western Ohio, agriculture and the products we produce provide for
the fine families we rear and the lives we live. The Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS) is trying to take our farming
practices back decades and the eventual impact their efforts have on
our bottom line could negatively impact our way of life. I will
continue to stand up against HSUS’ attempts to destroy our livelihoods
and raise the price of food.
HSUS wants to outlaw our ability to eat a hot dog at a Cincinnati Reds
game and destroy production agriculture in this state. They pose as
animal lovers, but they really just want to make us all vegetarians and
act in a manner that is nothing short of a political agenda.
Polling has found that most of the public think that money given to
HSUS largely helps shelter pets, such as cats and dogs, that HSUS
promotes in its marketing campaign. However the truth is that only 1%
of their budget goes to local animal shelters. Their true goals are to
trick politicians and bully farmers into slowly reducing protein in our
diets. These impacts are already being felt as egg producers move to
cage free operations and the swine industry abandons the superior
practice of using gestation crates.
HSUS chooses when protecting animals is critical or just
convenient. For instance they led the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
in their effort to increase penalties on cock fighting in Ohio.
But building a relationship with an NFL star led their CEO to endorse
Michael Vick to get another dog after being convicted as a dogfighting
kingpin. Their convenience style of politics should be avoided in Ohio,
and we must stand strong defending animal protein in our diets.
They have also demonstrated their political agenda by engaging in a
lengthy, but quiet, lawsuit since 2012 with the USDA regarding the sale
of the brand trade mark “Pork: The Other White Meat” from the National
Pork Producers Council to the National Pork Board. The HSUS has no
practical business suing over this exchange, and it really makes me
wonder: Have they filed suit to slow the use of the brand and reduce
pork sales to hurt the success of our farms?
HSUS has successfully convinced industry and marketing experts of their
mission and it is time agriculture stands-up and defends traditional
family farming. Their move for cage free chickens and hogs
without gestation crates promises lower productivity for Ohio farmers
and that trend has already begun. For example, in the past year alone,
Ohio farmers increased their egg laying flocks by 2%, but their egg
production only increased by 1%. A lot of questions are out standing
and this demonstration of less productive hens could be a blip on the
chart, but I anticipate it to continue and expand as long as HSUS
continues to control the marketing efforts of America’s largest food
companies.
Please join me in opposing HSUS and their clever marketing tactics and
gimmicks by eating only the highest quality food from our local family
farms. They are a sham organization and we should talk to our friends
and neighbors about the dangers they pose to our way of life. If
we do not, HSUS will fully succeed in eradicating high quality animal
proteins from our diets. Please join me in eating only food from Ohio’s
traditional family farms. Let’s eat traditional!
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey attinyurl.com/buchymay2016
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