It’s the same idea here. These activists are really going after animal agriculture, fishing and hunting at the same time in an initiative petition currently gaining traction in Oregon’s ballot initiative process.
The Oregon ballot initiative process is being treated as a recruiting tool. David Michelson, activist and chief petitioner of the initiative going after Oregon’s largest industries, said on an activist podcast called “The Animal Law Podcast” in 2021, “I see the ballot initiative process as a political process to effect change regardless of the ultimate outcome of the vote. Putting questions to the people is fundamentally important.”
Initiative Petition 3, or IP3, is ugly. It goes after everything you can imagine in animal agriculture. It has already been recognized as a ballot initiative and now needs 120,000 signatures to get on the ballot. On July 19, the petitioners’ Facebook page boasted they had collected 30,000 signatures.
A few points to highlight from this initiative: the breeding of animals would be considered sexual assault, there would be no commercial poultry farming, no fishing, no hunting, no rodeos and so on. Essentially, everything Oregon ranchers, fishermen and hunters do would be under intense scrutiny of Oregon law.
The activists don’t care. Getting the attention and getting to this point is their objective. It’s a dirty way to build their name and further their agenda. It does not matter to them what the outcome, if this becomes law, would do to Oregon’s economy and food supply. Their website, www.YesOnIP3.org, states, “Many of the people who have written into the campaign are understandably concerned about meeting their need for food. This is a vital need that we all share, and it is an important need to address. We want to assure you that there are ample resources to feed all Oregonians if IP3 were to pass. We are already producing far more food than needed to feed everyone. Oregon is a top-ranking producer of many field and seed crops, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and IP3 could end up increasing our net agricultural production, depending on how the industry adapts. Because IP3 does not ban any specific industry and does not dictate how industries or the government respond to the proposed changes in statute, it is ultimately up to them to do what they feel best meets their needs as long as it also protects the animals’ needs to be free from suffering.”
The group goes on to talk about ranching by stating, “IP3 does not prohibit a rancher from strictly raising and caring for bovines or any other animal. It would, however, require that the rancher does not abuse, neglect or sexually assault the animals under their care, meaning that the animals could not be killed or forcibly impregnated. This would certainly increase the cost to raise animals since many are currently killed at a small fraction of their natural lifespan, which is why we encourage ranchers to transition to an alternative agriculture practice. If a rancher would prefer to continue caring for animals, there is also the possibility that they could help operate an animal sanctuary. At a sanctuary, they could still care for animals, while also letting the animals live out their natural lives.”
But how will a rancher transition to this proposed agenda? Well, their stance is, “We have chosen to let the state decide how resources are reallocated.”
I understandably admit it’s beyond a far chance this passes, but in 2022, IP13 was nearly identical to this one and now with IP3, the trend is a continuance of nuisance. It’s clear they won’t stop if they lose. We will have to be armed with information everywhere we go. Hunting, fishing and wildlife watching account for $1.2 billion and 11,000 jobs within the state of Oregon, while cattle is the No. 2 industry in agriculture and accounts for $587 million in receipts. Around 96.7% of Oregon ranches are family-owned and -operated with 44% of these owned and operated by women, according to the Oregon Farm Bureau. Oregon is home to over 1,235 centennial ranches and almost 50 ranches have gone on for 150 years. If that isn’t sustainability, I’m not sure what is.
It’s not surprising that 15 Oregon counties have joined the Greater Idaho movement and are trying to become part of Idaho when there are measures like IP3 being proposed. — LOGAN IPSEN
