By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice
As J Paul Brown of Ignacio, Colo., gets ready to bring his sheep back to the lowlands for the fall roundup, he contemplates the impact of Denver’s Initiative 309, which singles out the largest lamb processing plant in Colorado for closure.
He worries that, if passed, the state has, yet again, compromised the domestic food chain.
Superior Farms has been singled out by this ballot initiative for closure after an animal rights activist group, Pro-Animal Future, championed the initiative. Superior Farms has been in business since its founding in 1964 and is a 100 percent employee owned facility that currently employs upwards of 170 direct employees.
“I find it so ironic that the very same people, who support locally grown, farm to table and organic food, are the people who want to close one of two Colorado lamb processing facilities that have the capacity to process more than 100,000 lambs a year. It is such a short-sighted, politically motivated plan. The plan ignores the conflict with the mission for all Americans to have an abundant affordable meat protein supply,” Brown said.
Colorado has the third largest sheep and lamb inventory in the United States. Superior Farms (USDA inspected facility), is the largest capacity plant, processing between 300,000 and 400,000 lambs a year. That equates to 15 to 20 percent of the lamb capacity for the entire U.S.
If passed by voters, this initiative impacts not only Colorado lamb producers, but producers in the nationwide supply chain. According to the Northern Ag Network, producers in the Mountain West region would have limited options for marketing harvest ready lambs in an already overburdened meat processing sector.
According to a June report put out by Colorado State University, the impact of initiative 309 equates to an estimated $861 million loss in economic activity and 2787 jobs lost in Colorado: “Economic spillover will impact the regional economy because the meat processing plant in Denver County is intertwined with other food businesses that rely on local Colorado meat production facilities to supply their restaurants, and food service businesses.”
Colorado lamb producers are not the only ranchers concerned by this initiative. The Colorado Livestock Association is also weighing in, as is Grand Junction cattlewoman, Janie Van Winkle who owns Van Winkle Ranch.
“This is a strategic move by animal rights activist groups to exploit the ease of the Colorado ballot initiative process to further promote their war on rural Colorado ranchers,” Van Winkle said.
Brown added, “This is a taking under the 5th Amendment, their goal is to de-platform all things meat protein.” He further said that this initiative takes a page from the “ballot-box biology people” who brought the Restore Wolves to Colorado Initiative to voters in the last election cycle.
“It’s definitely related in terms of how these initiatives rely on voters who, by and large, are not biologists or in the business of supplying the food chain to make decisions that impact us all. These things should be decided by regulatory agencies within the purview of existing laws and regulations, elected officials who are held accountable by the voters, and stakeholders who are engaged in the work of feeding America,” Brown continued.
This and other animal activist issues like this have had a very powerful voice in the Governor’s mansion in recent years. Colorado’s first gentleman, Marlon Ries, is well known for his involvement and support for these groups.
According to the Pro-Animal Future website, there are several obvious motives for promoting the ban. The most obvious is the protection of animal life and the humane treatment of animals. Digging further into the website, it becomes clear there are other motivations.
“It’s no secret that industrial animal farming is a top contributor to climate change, but it also has a huge impact on the environment of the surrounding community, ” the website reads.
Further confirming that climate change is a significant motivating factor for the group, the website reads, “As our society’s morality and shared understanding constantly evolves, our concerns for animal welfare, climate change, and workers rights have deepened. Where individual efforts can feel futile, collective action can create real change. At Pro-Animal Future, we believe that the way forward is a gradual transition away from meat on a societal level, in which our role as voters is key.”
Bonnie Brown of the Colorado Wool Growers Association said, “I think one of the most important things for voters to know is that banning slaughterhouses will force a reliance on imported meat from other countries, that may not have the high quality care standards the United States does for meat processing and animal care and welfare. Superior Farms in Denver has a USDA inspector on site daily. Additionally, banning meat processing will drive up costs for consumers. Pro-Animal Future is deliberately misleading voters in regards to their proposed ban 309. About 5 percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarians, and about 3 percent consider themselves vegan. Do voters really want a radical activist group dictating eating habits to U.S. consumers?”
The Stop the Ban campaign has committed to inform voters of what they say is the truth about Initiative 309. “Banning a single Denver business won’t improve animal welfare, but it will have devastating consequences for the local economy and increase food prices,” the website reads.
Stop the Ban has been endorsed by multiple livestock associations, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Veterinary Association, Denver Labor Federation, Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Pipefitters Local #208, Denver Downtown Partnership, Meat Institute, Metro Denver Lodging Council, Mile-Hi Restaurant Association, National Western Stock Show, National Pork Producers Council, Rocky Mountain Bison Association, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Service Employees International Union Local 105, UFCW Local 7, and VISIT DENVER.