California’s Sonoma County Registrar of Voters has confirmed the Coalition to End Factory Farming has gathered enough signatures for its proposed measure to ban concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
The ballot initiative will be on Sonoma County’s November ballot. If passed, the measure would prohibit the establishment of CAFOs within the county’s unincorporated areas and require existing operations to be deemed as a nonconforming use and registered on a public database.
Existing CAFOs would have three years to either cease operations or modify them so they are no longer classified as a CAFO.
Late last year, Kirk Wilbur, California Cattlemen’s Association vice president of government affairs, told WLJ the measure would have severe implications for California ranchers.
“This ballot initiative would harm California livestock producers, the state and its citizens’ financial security, and global efforts against climate change, all in the name of demonizing livestock producers,” Wilbur said.
