Animals need protection

Factory farms are trying to sneak an initiative onto the ballot that might fool even the most intelligent voter. House Bill 1813 or Senate Bill 5487 gives the illusion of improving conditions for egg-laying hens, but the opposite is true. This initiative attempts to legalize cruel and inhumane treatment by standardizing confinement in battery cages.

Since the 1960s, corporations have been putting small family-owned farms out of business and creating profit-driven factory farms. Michael Pollan, in the book “An Animal’s Place,” describes factory farms as “a nightmarish glimpse of what capitalism can look like in the absence of moral or regulatory constraint.”

Industry-backed initiatives are focused on profit at the expense of animal welfare. Watch the Internet video “Farm to Fridge,” narrated by James Cromwell, and you will see the cruelty involved in the industry of beef, pork, poultry, egg, dairy and seafood. A picture is worth 1,000 words; be prepared to not sleep for a few nights.

Contact your state representative and say no to 1813 and 5487.

Ginger Ninde

Medical Lake