Attention Missouri: Local Control is threatened in your state!

Last October, you may remember Farm Aid posting about Ohio Issue 2 — a corporate power grab in the form of a ballot initiative that radically changed how livestock issues are regulated through the establishment of a state "Livestock Care Standards Board." Posing as a farmer-friendly effort, the initiative actually threatens state policies that regulate Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), food safety, and much more.

Since then, we've been on the lookout for similar, deceptive initiatives that erode local control over what kind of livestock development occurs in states across the nation.

Recently we've heard from Farm Aid partner and funded-group Missouri Rural Crisis Center about a dangerous effort afoot in Missouri: Senate Bill 795. If you live in Missouri or have family or friends in the state, please make sure they know what's at stake, as this misleading bill is debated in the upcoming legislative session.

The current language in Senate Bill 795 - deceptively spun as the "Right to Raise Animals" clause — will have far-reaching and radical consequences, such as:

• Stopping local county governments from protecting their communities from the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of industrial livestock operations through local ordinances.
• Prohibiting elected representatives from responding to the needs of Missouri citizens when corporate agribusiness decides that playing by the rules is an undue economic burden.

Senate Bill 795 also establishes the "Missouri Animal Care Advisory Committee," similar to Ohio's Livestock Care Standards Board, which writes pro-CAFO supporters into statute as official advisors to the General Assembly.

Please Call Senators TODAY!...Tell them to make the following changes to Senate Bill 795:

• Remove the deceiving "Right to Raise Animals" language that threatens local control and the ability of the General Assembly to pass state CAFO standards.
• Remove the "Missouri Animal Care Advisory Committee," which is nothing more than a corporate attempt to legitimize a pro-CAFO agenda.

Please Call Senate Leadership: Senator Engler (573-751-3455); Senator Shields (573-751-9476); or click here to find your local senator.

Senate Bill 795 is pro-corporate, political maneuvering at its worst. Please call your Senators and urge them to kill this bill before it becomes law. Using your voice is the best way to stop this bill and protect family farmers and fellow Missourians.

To read the bill in PDF format, click here.