Ag Industry Looks Ahead to More Animal Welfare Issues

It's a small mention in this Ag Week article about issues coming up in 2009, but worth noting.

Another big issue gaining momentum is animal welfare. The recent passing of a proposition in California to strictly manage how laying chickens are kept serves notice, he says.

“There are people who are saying, ‘This is just ridiculous,’ but that’s not how the general public sees it,” {Washington agricultural correspondent Jerry} Hagstrom says. “This is a very difficult issue to deal with in the general public. You may hate to hear about this, but I do think that the animal-raising industries are going to have to reach some compromises with the Humane Society of the U.S. and other advocates.”

He adds that this is more than just a matter of voter education, given the $8 million spent by the California poultry industry fighting the proposition.

“What seems to be working better for the industry is to reach some kind of compromise before the issue goes on a ballot,” he says.