Civil Eats

The Humane Society has brought a wave of national attention this year to the cause of the fair treatment of farm animals, beginning with the video of a slaughterhouse in Chino, California that displayed for the world the terrible treatment that cows in our food chain are receiving.  Now, The Humane Society is sponsoring Proposition 2, which, if passed with a vote of “yes” tomorrow on California’s ballot, would require pregnant sows and veal calves enough space to turn around and stretch their legs, and would require hens the space to spread their wings.  The ballot initiative has received so much national attention, even bringing the President of The Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle, to Ellen and Oprah’s stages.  Naomi Starkman spoke with Wayne Pacelle to ask him about what will follow Proposition 2’s vote tomorrow.

Civil Eats: You’ve changed the way we view the treatment of farm animals in America. What’s next after Proposition 2?  What are some of the initiatives the Humane Society is working on?

Wayne Pacelle: We hope voters approve Prop 2, and if they do, it will add momentum to our ongoing campaign to urge people to think about their food choices, to stop particularly inhumane treatment of farm animals, and to develop humane and sustainable food policies. We look forward to working with groups and individuals with synergistic concerns, such as environmental groups and the Slow Food movement, to usher in an era with more sensible agricultural policies and practices.

The Humane Society of the United States is also focused on a wide range of other animal protection initiatives, including combating dogfighting and cockfighting, seal killing and the slaughter of other marine mammals, puppy mills and pet overpopulation, abusive hunting and trapping practices, the trade in exotic animals, and much more. We also respond to human-caused and natural disasters for animals and maintain the nation’s largest network of animal care facilities.

CE: Is Yes on Prop 2 a sure thing?  What’s standing in the way of it being a slam dunk?

WP: It is not a slam dunk, but we are making good progress in educating the public about the threats that factory farming poses to animals, the environment, food safety, and small farms. Large factory farming agribusiness companies from throughout the nation are pouring money into the No on 2 campaign and trying to confuse voters. They’ve donated about $9 million and invested that money on television advertisements to tell us that white is black and black is white. They make the ludicrous argument that it’s better for the animals to be confined in tiny cages for their entire lives and also that it promotes food safety to trap them in cages and cluster tens of thousands of animals in windowless buildings. We think the public will see through their charade, but in politics, you cannot take anything for granted. That’s why we have the most powerful grassroots campaign for Prop 2 that California has seen in a long time.

CE: If Prop 2 passes, will the Humane Society or other groups reach out to help factory farms change their infrastructure? To train them to use new techniques?

WP: We are certainly willing to help, but factory farms have plenty of resources to consult in shifting to more humane farming practices. More and more farmers are paying closer attention to animal welfare and environmental concerns. In fact, many egg factory farms are already producing cage-free eggs because of the growing demand for these more humanely produced animal products.

Some industrial farmers may need to learn about animal husbandry anew because they’ve been operating animal factories and actually know very little about caring for the animals.

CE: The undercover video in Chino brought a lot of attention to the treatment of animals and issues of transparency at slaughterhouses. How do you see the “animal protection” movement changing?

WP: The abuses of downer cows at Chino — a slaughter plant that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the industry held up as a model facility — was a wake-up call to Americans that we cannot trust the meat industry to self-regulate. We need standards and we need enforcement of these standards, for the health of the animals and the safety of our food. I see The HSUS and other animal protection groups devoting more attention to the treatment of farm animals, and that new focus and attention is desperately needed.

Photo: Beth and Ron

Naomi Starkman is a food policy media consultant to Consumers Union and others. She served as the Director of Communications & Policy at Slow Food Nation ’08 and has been a media consultant to The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ and WIRED magazines. She was previously a senior publicist at Newsweek magazine and was the Director of Communications for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). From 1997 to 2000, she served as Deputy Executive Director of the S.F. Ethics Commission. She is the co-founder of Civil Eats and Kitchen Table Talks, a local food forum in San Francisco, and a board member of 18 Reasons, a nonprofit connecting community through food. Naomi works with various clients on food policy and advocacy and is an aspiring organic grower, having worked on several farms.