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Nebraska ag groups prepare for potential showdown with HSUS
Nebraska ag groups have taken another step forward in preparation for a potential showdown with animal rights activists—specifically the Humane Society of the United States.
At Husker Harvest Days this week, they officially unveiled the new coalition called We Support Agriculture (WSA)—the stated purpose being to defend agriculture against attacks and misinformation about modern technology used to raise livestock.
Nebraska Farm Bureau spokesman Jay Rempe says while they’re not certain of HSUS’ plans for an animal welfare ballot initiative in the state, it’s best to prepared.
“I can’t guess what they’ll do—only they know what they’re going to do—all I can say is the activities and the things that they’ve done in Nebraska pattern what they’ve done in other states,” Rempe says. “They’re starting some activity in the state and we need to be ready and be prepared for that.”
Brownfield asked Pete McClymont of Nebraska Cattlemen if compromise with HSUS would ever be an option for the state’s livestock industry.
“Their track record doesn’t bear us being at the table with somebody that wants to put all of these guys behind me out of business,” McClymont says. “So, no, we won’t talk to them—won’t engage them—and that’s not an option for us.”
McClymont says although the landscape in Nebraska has evolved over the years, with major growth in the urban areas of Omaha and Lincoln, he’s confident most Nebraskan’s are strongly supportive of the state’s livestock industry.
Responding to the WSA activities at Husker Harvest Days, HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle told the Omaha World-Herald that those fears are misplaced, if not manufactured outright.
“I have said many times, on the record, that we have no plans to conduct a ballot measure in Nebraska,” he said. “They’re fabricating a controversy that does not exist.”
Pacelle called the Nebraska effort “a charade” and said Nebraska agriculture was unwilling to address animal welfare problems.
“We think responsible farmers and ranchers should be on the forefront of animal welfare, and they shouldn’t be positioning themselves as hostile to proper care of animals, which is what Nebraska ag leaders have been doing.”
AUDIO: HHD WSA news conference–McClymont and Rempe comments (8:02 MP3)
After the news conference, we visited with one of the members of the coalition, Tim Beebee with Michael Foods Egg Products Company of Wakefield, Nebraska. Bebee was representing the Nebraska Poultry Industries organization at the event. We talked about the recent compromise between United Egg Producers and HSUS and its potential impact on egg producers.
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