USSA Encourages Sportsmen to Vote YES for Issue 2

Stop HSUS from Gaining Foothold in Ohio and Damaging Our Farms

(Columbus) – Sportsmen in Ohio know that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the number one anti-hunting group in the nation. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) and a legion of sportsmen have fought and continue to fight this group across the country including HSUS' unsuccessful attempt to ban Ohio dove hunting in 1998. Now HSUS has set its sights on Ohio's number one industry – agriculture.

Hot on the heels of a ballot issue win in California that fundamentally changed how that state's farms operated, HSUS has targeted Ohio for a similar campaign against the Buckeye state's livestock and poultry farmers.

Here in Ohio, the farming community, legislators and other concerned citizens opted for a pro-active approach to animal care, which will appear as Issue 2 on the November ballot. Issue 2 will create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board assuring a safe food supply for Ohioans while guaranteeing excellent care for Ohio livestock and poultry. The USSA endorses Issue 2 and encourages sportsmen to spread the word.

The Board will bring together a broad range of Ohio animal care experts to set effective, common-sense animal care policies. It will be made up of 13 Ohioans, who will make scientific based decisions affecting food safety, local availability, affordability of food, and best farm management practices for animal well-being. Members will include veterinarians, farmers, and a representative from a county humane society.

Issue 2 has received strong bipartisan support, including Governor Ted Strickland. It also is endorsed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Restaurant Association, the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, the Ohio Grocers Association, the Ohio Manufacturers Association, the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks, and the American Humane Association. Farm groups across the state are working for its passage led by the Ohio Farm Bureau Association and many other state and national organizations.

Issue 2 will benefit all Ohioans by ensuring that decisions about animal care are made by Ohioans – in Ohio, not by an anti-hunting, animal rights organization that seeks to impose its views on everyone.

Moreover, HSUS does not care about the economic impact of the new rules it wants to implement and how devastating those rules would be for Ohio’s thriving agriculture industry, which is worth about $93 billion to the state and supplies nearly one million jobs.

To learn more about the YES for Issue 2 campaign or for more information on the Board, please visit www.ohiolivestockcare.com.