A coalition of animal rights groups claims to have gathered more than 37,000 signatures supporting a local ban on confined animal feeding operations. The petition needs to verify 19,000 of those signatures within 30 days for the ballot measure to go before Sonoma County voters in November.
Direction Action Everywhere, the Berkeley-based group spearheading the campaign, says it has reached the milestone despite the county farm bureau “spreading misinformation to turn the public against this effort.” They argue the ban would protect hundreds of thousands of animals from exploitation and abuse and could have national implications.
The farm bureau has teamed up with state and national counterparts to fight the ban. In response to the signatures, it warned that such an ordinance would have “catastrophic impacts on our local economy,” while cutting off access to locally sourced foods and setting “a dangerous precedent” for other producers in the county.
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Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli said it would put hundreds of family dairy, poultry and egg operations out of business.
The farm bureau asserts that the ban would force the county to import more food, increasing costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The ban is part of a “radical agenda” that seeks to eventually outlaw all animal farming and even pet ownership, according to the ag group. It is pleading for public support and donations in its fight.
