Representative Ben Cannon's Response - Battery Cages

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM, Rep Cannon wrote:

Jadene,
I serve on both the Environment and Water committee, which I chair, and the Health Care committee. Bills on animal issues tend to go to the Consumer Protection committee. Rep. Paul Holvey of Eugene has taken a particular interest in animal rights. The Humane Society of the United States has a strong lobby in the Capitol and has passed several pieces of legislation since I have been in office. I will have my assistant, Christy, check in to see if they are working on anything related to chicken cages. She will get back to you with what she finds out. It might take awhile depending on whether or not people are working next week.
-ben


Next Question - Mailed February 16, 2010
Representative Cannon,
I was glad to find your letter in my inbox. It is great to know that you care about the issue of animal welfare and humane treatment for farm animals. I eagerly look forward to hearing from Christy, your assistant, about potential battery cage legislation. I will also send correspondence to Rep. Paul Holvey in Eugene and to the Consumer Protection Committee.
I wonder how the Environment and Water Committee, on which you serve, sees the frequent major spills of factory farm waste into natural waterways? I would think that factory farms and C.A.F.O.s would be one of the main concerns of the Environment and Water Committee, considering these pollution events resulting directly from their operation.
Thank you so much,
Jadene Fourman

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19820729&id=q-YPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bo8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3595,2315532
http://istpp.org/pdf/istpp_cafo.pdf
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8597.pdf
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/NRD/cafo_front.shtml
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http://eco-logic-action.blogspot.com/

New Seasons Response - Humane Animal Products

Reply sent January 4, 2010

Jadene,

Thank you so much for contacting us with your questions! We think it’s important that our customers have the resources they need to make informed decisions about the food they purchase. Because we feel so strongly about the farm to table connection we are always happy when our customers take the time to learn more about the foods they purchase and the wide variety of options we as consumers have. It’s one of the reasons we host farmers and ranchers in our stores. We want our customers and ranchers to meet each other and learn more about how each one feels about the animals or plants that eventually end up in our meals. This desire to provide information is also why we enjoy answering emails like this one.

All the meat and poultry in the New Seasons Market Meat Departments comes to us from the partnerships that Alan, our Meat and Seafood Director, has developed over the years (the same is true for our seafood). Alan, our buyer, knows our ranchers and farmers and their operations intimately. Humane animal treatment is an important factor in Alan’s decision to enter into a partnership and to renew it over the years. Alan visits our farm and ranch partners as frequently as possible, and nearly all of our meat department staff have had the chance to stay (and even work) with Country Natural Beef, Pacific Village Beef and/or Umpqua Valley Lamb ranchers.

Food Alliance currently offers certification for Beef, Lamb and Pork. All Country Natural Beef and Pacific Village Beef ranchers are Food Alliance certified, as are the Umpqua Valley Lamb ranchers and the Oregon families who raise our Pacific Village Pork. You can learn more about the farmers and ranchers on our website: click here. The left hand margins contain many videos, interviews, and information about the specific farms and ranchers our meat products come from.
Our Country Natural Beef is raised and finished on a diet of grain and pasture while our Pacific Village Beef is 100% grass fed and never grain finished. We offer the Pacific Village Grass Fed Beef in the spring through the fall, but in the winter we have a limited supply since it’s difficult for cows to sustain themselves entirely on pasture during the cold winter months.

Slaughter is often one of the most difficult aspects of animal farming, and while the question is rare, it is an important one that we are more than happy to discuss with our customers. It is important to New Seasons Market to establish relationships with ranchers and growers who are committed to humane farming practices, and humane slaughter is not the least of the significant criteria that our partnerships require. To our Meat Merchandisers, humane slaughter includes a low stress environment for the animals; a quick and painless kill; and a processing facility that is top quality, USDA certified, and relatively small-scale. None of the animals in our meat cases have been tortured at any time, including the time of their slaughter. If you are interested in further details about the slaughter of our animals, I can provide that for you.

Thanks again for being in touch with us, Jadene, and I hope you won’t hesitate to stay in touch with me if you have any further questions for us!

Warmly,
Chenoa

Chenoa Philabaum
Customer Advocate
New Seasons Market


Inquiry Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 6:56 PM
To: Talk To Us
Subject: inquiry about meat products

hello,
i'm interested in finding out about how animals are treated on farms that new seasons stocks its meat counter from. do new seasons suppliers allow their livestock regular access to fresh outdoor air, green grass, and sunlight? are farm animals that new seasons buys from raised and slaughtered humanely? does new seasons buy from any confined animal feeding operations (cafos)?
thank you,
jadene f

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YOUR VOICE MATTERS:
http://eco-logic-action.blogspot.com/

Reversal of Supreme Court Decision - Campaign Underway

My housemate sent this to me today from MoveOn.org from a January 28th announcement:

"Last time, far-right Congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You Lie." Last night, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was only slightly more graceful.1

It's never been more clear that the current Supreme Court is dominated by right-wing partisans, and last week, they issued the most scandalous decision since Bush v. Gore by opening the floodgates to unlimited campaign spending by corporations.2

Today we're launching a massive new campaign to end corporate domination of American politics.

We'll demand a constitutional amendment to directly reverse the Supreme Court decision, and we'll fight for essential changes like the Fair Elections Now Act, to give small-donor-backed populist candidates a chance against the corporate big guns.

It'll be a huge fight and we need to know if we'll have the resources to proceed. It'll take $200,000 right away to start strong, and that'll take 62 donations from Portland. Are you in? Please help with a contribution of $5 today. Click here:

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/sotu_2010.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=3

This new tsunami of corporate money in elections is on top of the tremendous power corporate lobbyists already have on Capitol Hill—just look at health care reform to see what a few hundred million dollars from big corporations can do.3

With this Court decision, Big Insurance could spend as much as they want to support Joe Lieberman in his efforts to keep watering down health care reform. And ExxonMobil or BP can spend millions to elect candidates who oppose clean energy. It's a disastrous decision with a disastrous outcome.

That's why we're launching a major new campaign to break the stranglehold that corporate influence has over our politics, and over all of President Obama's agenda, and we're going really big.

We'll push Congress to pass a real "fair elections" bill that will make sure politicians rely on money from real people in their home districts instead of major multi-national corporations. We'll fight to kick lobbyists out of the back room negotiations on Capitol Hill. And together we'll tackle the single biggest and best solution to the corporate corruption problem: A constitutional amendment to undo the damage of the horrible Supreme Court decision.4

Over the course of the next year we'll:

* Expose the ties between big oil, insurance and Wall Street CEOs and politicians who stand in the way of the change Americans want
* Invest in a major organizing effort to rally voters in every district to hold their representatives accountable for taking corporate money and then watering down critical reform
* Launch tough ads that shine a light on the corrupting influence of corporate interests on crucial public priorities.

This is obviously an enormous challenge and, honestly, it'll take a lot of resources to run a truly strong effort. It's going to take 62 folks from Portland today to make sure we can kick off the campaign. Can you chip in $5 today?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/sotu_2010.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=4

Nothing less than our democracy is at stake. But together, we can begin to turn the tide.

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Kat, Adam, Ilya, and the rest of the team

P.S. Last week, MoveOn.org President Eli Pariser wrote an opinion column for The Wall Street Journal showing how corporate control of politics has dramatically limited progress in President Obama's first year—and explaining how we can fight back. Click here to read it:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86341&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=5

Sources:

1. "Justice Samuel Alito Mouths 'Not True' During State of the Union," Politics Daily, January 28, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86336&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=7

"Justice Samuel Alito channels Joe Wilson during State of the Union," Daily Kos, January 27, 2010
http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002512/

2. "Justices Overturn Key Campaign Limits," The New York Times, January 21, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86098&id=&t=5&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=8

"Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Finance Ruling," The New York Times, January 21, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86104&id=&t=6&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=9

3. "New Lobbying Reports Show Big Business Keeps Spending to Influence Politics," Center for Responsive Politics, January 21, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86337&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=10

4. "The Solutions: Three Ways to Curb Excessive Corporate Money in Politics," Public Citizen, accessed January 28, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86338&id=18760-4049365-78dO2xx&t=11

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

URGENT - Corporations Are Not People

The United States Supreme Court is allowing corporations to be considered natural persons by law. This is very bad and very important.
The decision is ludicrous, but it affects everything, from our drinking water to our basic human rights. It must not be ignored. If there was a time to take a stand, it is now.
Please please take five minutes to contact your senators and representatives. Make them aware that you do not support the new legal designation. Tell them that corporations are not people. Tell them that you will not tolerate the decision and that it must be reversed immediately.
It is quite easy to make contact with elected officials in America. Contrary to popular belief, they listen and respond. The following website had direct email, phone, and mailing addresses for each state's government officials. A letter counts as two thousand citizen voices, and email and phone are counted below that number somewhere. It is up to us to stop total corporate domination over ecosystems and communities, which has been steadily growing, but this right here is the big one. We can't allow this.
Capitol Switchboard:
202-224-3121
Mailing Addresses & Emails:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.uspirg.org/consumer-blog/consumer-blog/pirg-to-supreme-court-corporations-are-not-people

Sample Letter

Dear Member of Congress,

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC would allow corporations to spend money directly on attack ads supporting or opposing Congressional candidates.

This decision was made under the pretext that because a corporation is a “person,” they should be allowed to spend their massive aggregated wealth to influence elections.

A corporation is not a person with voting rights. Giving corporations the rights of people would fundamentally change our democracy.

Rep. Van Hollen, Sen. Schumer and the White House are working protect our democracy from the implications of this decision.

I urge you to take swift action in support of this effort.

Sincerely,

_________________________(your name)

MORE INFORMATION:

Stop the corporate takeover of democracy - OSPIRG

Clean Water & Air Is a Basic Right We Have to Protect - Here's What You Can Do

So I work at a nonprofit office, and I'm daily made aware of shifts and achievements in the Environmental movement. Today it was announced that Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has put forward an amendment to the Clean Air Act that was written by industry lobbyists representing air polluters! It's obvious that she's been paid off, but by letting our Senators know we are aware of and opposed to the amendment she's been paid to propose, our clout can (is usually what) put a stop to big destruction of Clean Air Act protections. If you call 202-224-3121 you can tell your Senator's office that you want her or him to oppose the Murkowski amendment to the Clean Air Act. Actions like this do make the difference! Please take two minutes out of your busy day to make this call. Also on the chopping block is the Clean Water Act! In 2001 and 2006 two Supreme Court decisions created a loophole that has since then allowed major polluters to pour toxins into waterways not classified as "navigable." The obvious thing here is that streams and other waterways not navigable by ships are source feeders to major water bodies. The impetus for action is that millions of people get their drinking water from lakes and rivers fed by the tributaries being polluted. Please take a minute or five out of your packed schedule to voice your support for the Clean Water Restoration Act. You can call the number above and ask for the offices of your Representatives and Senators. This legislation restores the original 1970's Clean Water Act to protect all water in the United States. It is our only protection for drinking water in the country, so it's vital we restore its protections. Thank you so much.

Representative Ben Cannon Writes Back

Hi Jadene,
Thank you for your email about farm animal welfare. I support sustainable agriculture, which includes the humane treatment of farm animals.

While Oregon has not enacted all of the policies that you suggest, we have adopted at least one. In 2007, the state banned the use of gestation crates for pregnant pigs. Here is a link that bill as passed: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measures/sb0600.dir/sb0694.en.html. That bill was introduced with a ban on veal crates also included, but because there is no veal industry in Oregon, that piece was removed.

In 2009, we also passed legislation on behalf of horses. Horses were treated like livestock and not eligible for protections under anti-animal abandonment laws. The economic downturn had led to an increase in horse abandonment and neglect, so we changed the law to make it illegal to abandon or fail to provide minimum care for horses. Here is a link to that bill, if you are interested: http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures/sb0300.dir/sb0398.en.html.

On my commute on I-5 to and from Salem, I oftentimes see the trucks filled with chickens packed together like sardines. Every time, it reminds me why I try my best to only eat free range poultry, and rarely. While I am not the best person to the take the lead on a bill banning battery cages because of my committee assignments, I would most likely support such a concept.

I appreciate your email and hope that you will continue to be in touch on this and other issues.
-ben

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Ben Cannon
State Representative - District 46
900 Court Street NE, Room H-487
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 236-3351
rep.bencannon@state.or.us
www.repbencannon.com




-----Original Message-----
From: Site Administrator [mailto:webmaster@farmsanctuary.org] On Behalf Of Jadene Fourman
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 9:17 PM
To: Rep Cannon
Subject: Farm Animal Welfare


Dec 7, 2009

Representative Ben Cannon
State Capitol, Room H-484
900 Court Street, NE
Salem, OR 97301

Dear Representative Cannon,

Farm animal welfare is of increasing concern to members of the public, including myself, and my friends, family and neighbors. We have been happy to see laws passed in several states to eliminate the cruel confinement of farm animals, and to allow them at least enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around, and extend their limbs.
I'm writing to encourage you to please consider introducing similar legislation this session to ban battery cages for egg-laying hens, gestation crates for pregnant pigs, and veal crates for young calves.
Such legislation would help prevent needless animal suffering, and please the majority of your constituents.
For further information, I encourage you to read Farm Sanctuary's Legislator Brief and their Resource Guide for drafting such legislation. You can find both at www.farmsanctuary.org/get_involved/alert_cruel_confinement

Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Ms. Jadene Fourman

Asking the White House to Protect Downed Animals

Greetings Mr. President and Administration Staff,
I appreciated Mr. Obama's compassionate and responsible action to protect downed cows from being further abused in Confined Animal Feeding Operations. I am deeply concerned about other factory farm animals being excluded from these protections. Pigs, chickens, turkeys, and all other animals feel pain and emotional stress. While I strongly support humane reform for all CAFOs in the United States, I am writing today to urge the current administration to extend protection and compassionate care for all downed factory farm animals.
This issue is very important to me. I would really appreciate hearing back from the White House as soon as you are free to get back to me. Thanks so much for your attention to this key matter.
Sincerely,
Jadene Fourman