Ohio Sets Forth Livestock Standards Board

The Ohio Senate has unanimously approved a resolution that would allow voters to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, which would provide oversight of how farm animals are raised. The House approved its version of the resolution yesterday by a vote of 84-13. According to the Ohio Farm Bureau, the final version of the resolution, once approved, will put the measure on the November ballot. The board will comprise a broad base of experts in livestock and poultry care, including family farmers, veterinarians, a food safety expert, a representative of a local humane society, members from statewide farm organizations, the dean of an Ohio agriculture college and members representing Ohio consumers. Over the past several months, the Ohio Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups had engaged in extensive discussions on how to best achieve farm animal well-being while protecting the state’s farmers and consumers from restrictive, short-sighted and emotionally driven regulations. Such regulations had been pushed by activists in other states and Ohio was expected to be the next target. Pork