ohio farm bureau federation

The following statement was released jointly by farm groups and agricultural commodity groups across Ohio in response to the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of Amended Senate Joint Resolution 6 (Am. SJR 6), which would authorize a statewide ballot measure creating an Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.

Action today by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate to approve Amended Senate Joint Resolution 6 is an important step forward in continuing Ohio livestock farmers’ excellent treatment of farm animals, maintaining safe food production practices and ensuring the continued availability of nutritious, affordable, locally produced food for Ohio consumers.

The measure passed 83 - 16 in the House and 31 - 1 in the Senate.

We would like to commend our legislative leaders and sponsors – including Senate President Harris (R-Ashland), House Speaker Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), Senate Agriculture Chair Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Chair John Domenick (D-Smithfield), Am. SJR6 sponsor Bob Gibbs (R- Lakeville) and Amended HJR 2 sponsor Allan Sayre (D-Dover) – for their strong leadership in moving the resolution forward and securing bipartisan support for the measure in the Senate and House. We also acknowledge the hard work of our key supporters, including Margaret Ruhl (R-Mt. Vernon), Jason Wilson (D-Columbiana) and Jim Zehringer (R-Ft. Recovery). Additionally, we are grateful for Governor Ted Strickland’s unwavering support of this measure.

We would also like to thank our collective farm community for their continued commitment to responsible farm management and animal care. Passing this resolution is an investment in the future of Ohio’s farm economy.

The proposed Livestock Care Standards Board will provide an effective mechanism for determining and enforcing guidelines for the care and well-being of livestock and poultry, and for ensuring the quality, safety and availability of locally produced food in our state.

The Livestock Care Standards Board has garnered broad support from throughout Ohio’s farm and agricultural communities because it’s good for Ohio farmers, good for the animals we raise, and good for Ohio consumers. We expect Ohio voters to draw the same conclusion and ask for their support of the initiative when it is placed on the November ballot.

The organizations issuing this joint statement include the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the Ohio Pork Producers Council, the Ohio Poultry Association, the Ohio Dairy Producers Association, the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, the Ohio Soybean Association and the Ohio Corn Growers Association.