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Pastimes : 100 Acre Wood -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jorj X Mckie who wrote (3043)	12/12/2002 3:53:22 PM
From: AugustWest	Respond to of 3287

(COMTEX) B: Pregnant pigs headed for slaughter GAINESVILLE, Fla., Dec 12, 2002 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Florida now has a constitutional amendment protecting 300 pregnant pigs from being squeezed into 2-foot-wide crates, but the Florida Farm Bureau said Thursday that it appears the pigs will soon be slaughtered. The two farmers targeted by the amendment, which passed by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin Nov. 5, said they will be forced to go out of the hog business because they can't afford to retool. Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the sows were treated so badly, slaughter is preferable anyway. "These animals are clearly better off," Friedrich said. "Imagine spending your entire life unable to turn around, unable to snuggle with your children, mange-ridden, black lung disease, infected and sore. "All of these animals were going to the slaughter house anyway," he said. Frankie Hall of the Gainesville-based Florida Farm Bureau, the chief opponent of the amendment, said veterinarians differ. The American Association of Veterinarian Science says the 2-foot-by-7-foot pens are the best way to house the pigs because in group pens, sows bite and jostle, sometimes causing abortions. Hall said the animal rights groups "used an emotional approach. They didn't talk about animal science. It was very unfair to the farmer." He said the national organizations like Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society chose Florida because there were so few farmers involved in the practice. "They could assure themselves of an easy win because there are so few hog farmers. They're not going to Iowa and expect to win on the first go-round," Hall said. He said virtually all of the counties on the state's coast voted for the amendment and all of those in the interior where most of the farming is done voted against it. Hall said that partly because of the hog amendment, the Florida Legislature is expected to consider legislation making it tougher to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The two farmers affected by the rule are Henry Mathis of Dade City, and Steve Basford of Grand Ridge. "The animal rights people missed the boat on this one. As farmers, they've killed us, and as a result we have to kill the animals," Mathis told the Miami Herald. Mathis began selling his sows before the vote, but still has about 150 that are pregnant. He will keep them until they give birth. The amendment carries a six-year-grace period, but the two farmers figure its the right time to get out of the business, anyway. Hall said farmers have to get 40 cents a pound for their pigs, but have been getting only 30 percent for a year. "There's just too much meat on the market," said Basford, who is growing hay and will buy more cattle. Mathis is also growing hay and will continue raising alligators for leather. Copyright 2002 by United Press International. -0- SUBJECT CODE: 04001000 11003000 11006000 * end of story *