Gov. Granholm signs law giving farm animals room

[Bozita]

Source: AP

Gov. Granholm signs law giving farm animals room
By The Associated Press
October 12, 2009, 6:43PM


LANSING - Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation requiring that farm animals confined in small cages have enough room to turn around and fully extend their limbs.

The bill signed Monday makes Michigan the second state to ban commonly used cages for egg-laying chickens, the fifth to ban common crates for veal calves and the seventh to ban certain stalls for pregnant pigs.

The cages for hens and stalls for pregnant pigs will go away in about 10 years. The veal crates will be banned in three years.

Animal advocates consider close confinement inhumane.

Read more: http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/10/gov_granholm_signs_law_giving.html

[AngryAmish]

1. Seat baby Jesus

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Great for the humane treatment of animals...

But why should it take TEN YEARS to do away with hen cages and pregnant pig stalls...and veal crates have three more years to torture calves??

Why?.

[truthisfreedom]

6. Because to rush it would cause a huge expense and shortage of equipment which would

both disrupt the food supply and pass large, sudden price increases on to already-strapped consumers, and make it impossible for Michigan's farmers to compete nationally.

It's horrible what's been allowed, and it's horrible that it's continuing, but realistically, they had to make it feasible or the bill would have been lobbied out of existence.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Thks for the explanation.

[Chemisse]

3. That is good news

Recently my daughter shamed me into buying cage-free eggs. While I don't mind them being in a cage as such, they should have room to live their lives, move around, fly up to the roost, walk over to the laying boxes.

I am not an animal-rights fanatic, but it is disgraceful that hens - or any animals - are cooped up so tightly that they can't even move.

[Omaha Steve]

4. WOW K&R!

Way to go.

From a former naysayer of PETA.

[paulsby]

37. i agree!

i have no problem with eating animals, but the cruelty of cages where they can't even move is simply not acceptable.

[WriteDown]

5. Remind me not to buy any veal from Michigan. nt

[demodonkey]

7. Better yet don't buy veal at all. (And my family raised beef for decades...)

I grew up raising and eating grass-fed beef. I eat beef and have no problem with it, but I absolutely don't eat meat from baby bovines.

If people stopped buying veal, the practice would go away.

[K8-EEE]

8. veal has got to be the cruelest meat of all. n/t

[WriteDown]

12. Perhaps...

But a staple in Italian diets.

[Critters2]

26. What ridiculous reasoning.

"I have to pay people to torture animals because my ancestors always have." :eyes:

I'm German, Scots, and Irish. My ancestors ate meat. I don't. I'm still German, Scots, and Irish.

[WriteDown]

My chicken is not treated much better than my veal....

Yet I still eat that as well. Sorry, no plans to become a vegetarian.

[Critters2]

38. But don't pretend you do it out of some noble commitment to your ethnic heritage.

You eat dead animal flesh because it tastes good to you.

[WriteDown]

39. And...

It was pretty much was the meaning of Sunday night dinner with my family while growing up.

[Critters2]

40. I doubt that's much comfort to the suffering animals. nt

[WriteDown]

41. Maybe they dream of being coupled with...

marinara and fresh mozarella. :shrug:

[WriteDown]

32. delete, dupe

[WriteDown]

11. Half Sicilian...

Not going to happen.

[sudopod]

17. I thought you were Native American

You are a riot.

[Psephos]

22. He's half and half.

According to previous posts...I have no special knowledge.

I *highly* suggest you don't call him a half-breed next. Neither of his rootstocks are known for complaisance when provoked. ;)

[WriteDown]

24. I was called that by certain members of my father's family..

growing up. I still have a letter from an uncle urging my mother to hide mine and my sisters ethnicity. Fun times.

[TheWraith]

27. Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

Or meat eating. Or something.

[WriteDown]

23. Learn your fractions...

That's why I'm half. I guess your one of those people who say Obama isn't Black.

[TheMadMonk]

25. If you're a beef producer, then you know what TRUE veal is.

Unborn calf. I hate what's called veal today. It's tasteless and tough as old boots.

Good beef needs to be of a certain age, both on the hoof and then again on the hook.

[WriteDown]

33. Very interesting...

I always thought that veal was not as good these days because I couldn't find a decent butcher.

[AngryAmish]

28. There are very good reasons not to buy veal in the US

In the days of modern animal husbandry various breeds of cattle exist for various reasons. Compare a black angus (made for good eating) here

to a milking cow here



These are not the best pics, but essentially a good eating cattle is thicker. Milking cows have larger guts and teets. Less muscle.

So, in the US where do most of the veal come from? Male milking cows. Only a few grow to maturity since one bull can inseminate thousands. Both boys and girls can be good eating cows.

Since the genetics are different the muscle of a milking cow has less moisture and fat - thus less delicious meat.

They say veal in Italy or France or anywhere without large scale industrial farming is better - it makes sense to me. I don't think veal around here is all that great.

[MARALE]

29. You should buy veal from Michigan

Since they have now banned the small cages. if you buy from other states, they may be from an inhumane cage!

[Vidar]

9. She's been a good governor in am impossible situation.

[Festivito]

13. More and more even Repubs realizing this. /nt

[blue_onyx]

15. I think most reasonable people realize this

Even if many Republicans realize that the situation has been impossible, they'll still blame her during the 2010 election.

[Festivito]

16. Repubs do realize things, but they are not reasonable.

They'll blame with whatever blame will gain a few more votes until they get enough.

May they never get enough ever again.

[blue_onyx]

18. Yes, I hope they don't get enough votes

We will find out next year how effective the "blame Granholm" campaign is. The entire 2010 Republican strategy will be about Granholm. This strategy didn't work too well in 2006 so I don't think it will work in 2010 either.

[Scout]

36. +100 n/t

[ro1942]

10. Best news all year,did this really happen

[Crowman1979]

19. You could tear down all of those forclosed McMansion subdivisions to make room for the farm animals.

[Gamey]

20. By no means am I a land baron, but...

I've been able to put requirements for minimumly sized spaces for livestock in the title chain during the selling of properties. Enforcable? Maybe not. Every bit helps? Absolutely!

[MARALE]

43. My dad was a farmer

And he would like to see per acre requirements on cattle. for instance, only 1 cow per acre of land for grazing. that would stop many of the cows you see huddled together in mud and being fed only grain. it is hard on their digestive systems.

[Mari333]

21. My fellow Michiganders voted this in

It should have been done long ago.
Thank God. Of course, in my ideal world, all non human animals would live in wonderful open spaces and not be caged. But this is a start.

[MARALE]

30. This is why we have free range chickens!

They stay around the yard, and the egg yolks have a deep yellow color. They are so much better than they eggs you can buy in the store. They are so easy to take care of.

[Javaman]

31. You will now experience the full power of the Tyson/Perdue death star. nt

[xchrom]

34. good. nt

[Scout]

35. a small step in the right direction; thanks Gov. Granholm n/t

[bvar22]

42. WooHoo!

I hope this comes soon to Arkansas, home of Tyson Chicken Concentration Camps!

We started keeping Free Range chickens in 2007.
Having had no previous experience, I was amazed at how intelligent and social these beautiful birds are.
They have distinct individual personalities.
We love our birds!

[CrispyQ]

44. +1 for photo & comment.

Chickens are remarkable creatures! I grew up on a farm & we had chickens, much like the ones in your photo.

[Gregorian]

45. This is really important.

We are animals. It seems that many people have forgotten that. Just yesterday I was expounding on the inhumane treatment of animals. Namely pigs for pork. It's one of the reasons I will not eat most meat.

Thank you Jennifer Granholm.