January 22, 2009 10:27 by
GeneOne day after
President Barak Obama was sworn into office, the U.S. Senate confirmed
his appointee, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, to be the new secretary of
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Tom Harkin (D-IA),
the Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, commented, "Tom Vilsack's
confirmation today signifies new leadership for the USDA, but also a
new focus on the issues important to all Americans, including
nutrition, conservation, energy and promoting the rural economy."
I’ve written before
that Vilsack has a mixed record when it comes to protecting animals and
fighting factory farming, but Senator Harkin’s words are encouraging.
Let’s hope that the new agriculture secretary truly has a “new focus”
and will tackle issues that are “important to all Americans.” The USDA
should represent the interests of all U.S. citizens, rather than just
those of the agriculture industry at the expense of animals, consumers,
rural communities and the environment.
In California, spurred in part by the passage of Proposition 2
(to outlaw certain cruel confinement systems), the state senate is
reforming its “agriculture committee,” which will now be called the
“food and agriculture committee.” It will include legislators from
non-farming areas and it plans to address concerns from stakeholders
other than just agribusiness. This could create important opportunities
to promote more sustainable policies and promote plant based
agriculture in the country’s largest agricultural state. Californian’s
should go to the committee’s website, and express their opinions.
For
decades, the agriculture industry has acted cruelly and recklessly, and
it has controlled legislative committees and government agencies that
are supposed to oversee its activities. Industrial animal agriculture
is an influential force inside of Washington, DC and state capitols,
but its cruel and wasteful farming practices are repugnant, and
inconsistent with most citizens’ values and interests. Once exposed,
its activities can only be perceived by the wider public as
indefensible, and with increasing citizen involvement, change is
inevitable.