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PET CAUSE
A Farm-fresh agenda on Beacon Hill
BY ADAM REILLY
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Animal-rights activists seeking to get out their message face a major obstacle — namely, being pre-emptively dismissed as left-wing nut jobs and combative, single-issue crusaders in the PETA mold. That’s the challenge facing Farm Sanctuary, a moderate animal-rights group, as it works to push two bills through the state legislature. The first would ban the storage of pigs and calves in spaces so small that the animals can’t turn around. The second would target the production of foie gras by banning both the force-feeding of poultry (a common step in the production of this food) and the sale of force-fed-poultry products; it would also specify a fine of not less than $1000 and not more than $2500, or up to five years’ imprisonment, for anyone violating these guidelines. Given that pigs, cows, and ducks are sentient beings (unlike certain cellular entities currently generating a stir on Beacon Hill — see "Soft Cell," News and Features, page 18), these proposals seem reasonable enough. But will they pass? At this point, both bills (which are modeled on laws in Florida and California, respectively) appear to stand a reasonably good chance. The crating bill’s lead sponsors are State Senator Steve Tolman, a respected Democrat, and State Representative Brad Hill, a well-regarded Republican; the foie gras bill’s lead sponsor is Susan Fargo, a promising Democrat who just made the leap from the House to the Senate. Furthermore, the roster of legislative supporters is notably broad in terms of gender and ideology — indicative, perhaps, of a strategic effort on the part of Farm Sanctuary and its allies to convince skeptics to take them seriously. Maybe that will be enough. But just in case, the bills’ backers are also drumming up as much media attention as possible: there’s an advocacy forum planned for Monday morning, and a legislative lobbying day slated for Tuesday, March 22. The goal, as one supporter explains, is to show that "this isn’t some crazy lefty thing. We’re talking about the humane treatment of animals." It’s a solid argument. But whether the legislature will buy it — and respond in a timely fashion — is anyone’s guess. For more information, go to farmsanctuary.org.
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