Farm Bureau urges rejection of measure undermining food safety

» September 15, 2008 «

Organization releases list of positions on November ballot propositions

At a time when many people want locally produced food, a measure on the November ballot would make locally produced eggs almost impossible to find in California. In announcing its position on statewide ballot propositions today, the California Farm Bureau Federation said it would make defeat of Proposition 2 a high priority.

Sponsored by animal-rights activists, Proposition 2 would ban modern systems to house certain farm animals. In California, the main impact would be on egg production. A University of California report says most California egg farms would go out of business if the measure passes, meaning an extra 5 billion eggs a year would be trucked into California from other states or Mexico.

"California egg farmers work under very strict food-safety guidelines that many other production areas don't follow," California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said. "The California rules assure that eggs produced here are grown under the most modern, safe and practical methods. If Proposition 2 passes, most eggs available to California consumers will come from out-of-state, where most farmers aren't working under the same safety standards. We urge people to vote no on Proposition 2."

Farm Bureau encourages voters to approve Proposition 11, which would reform the redrawing of legislative district boundaries.

"The decision-making process in Sacramento is polarized and paralyzed," Mosebar said. "Even the most basic duty of passing a state budget has become nearly undoable. Proposition 11 would place the duty of drawing legislative districts in the hands of a bipartisan commission instead of the state Legislature. This reform of the redistricting process will result in more competitive campaigns and let the Legislature focus on developing solutions to our state's problems."

The organization's complete list of ballot positions:

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 92,000 members statewide.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.