California Schemin'

I've written before about the factory farm fakers opposing California's Proposition 2, and their sordid record of duping the public, harming animals, polluting the environment, and exploiting workers. Last Friday, within a single 24-hour period, these agribusiness big shots dumped another massive infusion of more than $4.5 million in cash into the political committee they formed to oppose Prop 2, nearly tripling the funds in their war chest.

The latest contributions came from 124 different corporations based in 33 states--demonstrating that factory farm executives will dig deep into their pockets just to make sure they don't have to give animals enough space to turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs. They want business as usual, and they don't want to be held accountable by a public that demands and deserves better.

There was a new donation of $215,000 from Moark, bringing that company's total investment in the anti-Prop 2 campaign to more than $500,000. This is the same company that paid to settle criminal cruelty charges for using a conveyor belt to throw live birds into a Dumpster.

But the largest contributor is now Cal-Maine Foods, which gave nearly $600,000 last Friday. The Mississippi-based company is the nation's largest egg producer, and also one of the dirtiest. It has been cited numerous times for spilling chicken manure and chicken parts into rivers and streams, including an Ohio incident that killed 49,000 fish in the Stillwater River.

The new donations also included $100,000 from Minnesota-based Michael Foods, whose cruel conditions were exposed in 2006 by an undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States. The shocking video footage taken at the company's Nebraska egg factory showed live hens confined in cages with dead birds; hens caught in cage wires, unable to escape; sick and injured hens; and birds dying from dehydration and starvation, just inches away from food and water--it led to major retailers such as Ben & Jerry's dumping the company as an egg supplier.

Not to be outdone in the race to the bottom, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride donated $25,000. Workers at this company's West Virginia plant in 2004 were secretly videotaped stomping, kicking, and tossing birds against the wall.

And the opponents got $15,000 from Minnesota-based Golden Oval Eggs. The company might have had more money at its disposal, if it had not been ordered in July by the state of Iowa to pay $200,000 in fines for environmental pollution coming from its egg factory--a single facility with 5.7 million birds dumping waste into Pike Run Creek, a tributary of the Winnebago River.

The list goes on and on. It's never been more clear that the campaign against Prop 2 is bankrolled by the worst of the worst--the biggest national players in an industry that thinks it doesn't have to play by the rules. In fact, these latest donations pumped into their war chest might not have even been reported publicly had it not been for a complaint filed with California's Fair Political Practices Commission just two days earlier. It appears that opponents were holding back millions of dollars in unreported contributions, and intended to launder those donations through the United Egg Producers in violation of campaign finance laws. After we filed our petition they hurriedly reported the donations, thus confirming that they failed miserably to report these major gifts within 24 hours, which could net them millions of dollars in fines.

Agribusiness giants from the Midwest, the South, and across the country have declared California to be ground zero, and they are throwing every resource they have at this state election. We don't have the wealth of massive corporations reaping record profits, but we do have the power of people who want to see a better day for animals, for the environment, for food safety, and for farm workers. They've got big money from Big Agribusiness, but we've got thousands of people just like you who have already thrown their support behind the YES! on Prop 2 campaign.

Help us fight back against the industry giants whose equipment and practices are inherently inhumane, and show the agribusiness big shots they can't buy an election. Please make a donation today, and help us get our positive message out across the state, urging millions of Californians to vote YES! on Prop 2.

Follow Michael Markarian on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mmarkarian

Comments

[Christina S Johnson]

The New York Times writer Nicholas Kristof calls Prop 2 "the most important election this November that you’ve never heard."

Read his opinion piece, "A Farm Boy Reflects" at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31kristof.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

On Sept. 15, the San Diego newspaper the Union-Tribune endorsed Prop. 2, calling the proposed ban on inhumane confinement of farm animals "sensible."

Prop. 2 has been endorsed by both U.S. California Senators, and by the California Veterinary Medical Association, among a long list of established, mainstream, thoughtful organizations.

My only question is this: Why hasn't the California Legislature passed legislation protecting the 20 million farm animals that stand to benefit from larger cage/crate space?

[lsinla]

There is no question that I will be Voting YES ON PROP 2 this November. We have treated animals with such cruelty for too long. They give us food/clothing and yet we treat them as machines with no feelings. The least we can do is make them as comfortable as possible for the short time they are here before being sent to Slaughter.

I do hope these Big Corporations are thoroughly investigated and don't get away with anything if they have received their money inappropriately. Obviously they know they are doing something wrong or they wouldn't be donating so much money anyway.

This isn't a Republican/Democrat issue or a Carnivore/­Omnivore/V­egetarian issue...this is a basic issue of showing compassion for all fellow beings.

California has a chance to show everyone that it is possible to treat all Animals with the respect they deserve by voting YES ON PROP 2.

[my2cnz]

For all you CA Egg Farmers out there crying poor and who say the passing of Prop 2 would put you out of business and/or force you to move your egg business out of state...Wise up! 4.5 million dollars is a heck of a lot of money! Money that would be better spent helping YOU face reality...money that would certainly go a long way in helping your business to begin the phasing out battery cages. Wasting 4.5 million dollars simply to fight the inevitable is not only ludicrous but poor management.

Jump on the barn wagon (pun intended) and get ahead of the game...California voters who are the WISER, already have! Compassion breeds compassion and it's spreading like wildfire all across this country whether you want to believe that or not. Times area a changing...and you may as well start getting use to it. Come be a part of the solution and for heavens sake, stop being a part of the problem.

Allowing any animal to live its entire life in a cage never to see the light of day, is unconscionable! Truly intelligent beings would expect more of themselves, and would have more respect for animals.

There is a better and more humane way.

Vote YES on Prop 2!!

[winecountrydog]

Responding to the point that "Agribusiness giants from the Midwest, the South, and across the country have declared California to be ground zero. . . ."
Humane California farmers and consumers should not be dictated to by giant agribusiness!
We want Calif. Prop 2 passed in November (see yesonprop2.com) both to end the inhumane treatment of "food animals" and to KEEP THE CALIF. FARM ECONOMY STRONG. The farming future is about ethical, food-safe, non-cruel food-animal farming. This is what it'll take for the Calif. farm economy to retain its competitive strength.
Our 'YES on Prop 2' position supports the interests of Calif. farmers using humane processes in farming cattle, veal calves, pigs, chickens, and eggs. We're an important demographic: WE REPRESENT TODAY'S HUMANE FOOD-ANIMAL CONSUMERS! We're omnivorous "humane eaters" in a multi-pet & human household. Like many people and pets around the U.S. and the rest of the world, we consume only cage-free eggs and only humanely raised & slaughtered animals.
Hey, thousands like us were already voting humanely with our forks before giant agribusiness made California a battleground!
Please join us in saying NO to giant agribusiness and YES on Prop 2 to promote the growth of the humane food-animal and cage-free egg economy.

[WalkerPartridge]

The conduct of these factory farms is just shameful. Not only do they have no regard for animal welfare, but they have no regard for human welfare either! We all remember the Chino slaughter plant investigation by the Humane Society of the United States earlier this year that showed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows that put our food supply at risk. This investigation prompted the nation's largest beef recall. Time and time again we see these factory farms protecting their profits at the expense of the consumers and animals. I know that I am voting YES on Prop 2 this November!

[louiesmom33]

Mike, you hit the nail on the head once again. These groups should be ashamed of themselves; the tactics they are using to trick people into thinking that Prop 2 will be harmful for people. I've said it once and I'll say it again.... ALL animals, including those raised for food, deserve to be treated humanely! Vote YES on Prop 2!!!!

[AnimalLover6256]

I certainly am going to vote YES on Prop 2 on Nov 4 and have given money to the Yes on Prop 2 campaign. I can't believe we have to fight for these animals to have enough space to stand up, turn around, lie down and stretch their limbs. Even animals raised for food deserve to be treated humanely.