By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — The Newton County Farm Bureau will sponsor a panel discussion Tuesday focusing primarily on a Missouri ballot initiative that would regulate dog breeders.
“The purpose of the lecture is to inform those in agriculture, not just in my industry, but also in poultry and cattle, everybody that has an interest in the agricultural community,” said Chris Fleming, general manager of Mid-America Pet, a puppy distributor.
The initiative would bar breeders from having more than 50 breeder dogs per site. It also would require large operations to provide each dog with sufficient food, water, housing and space, along with veterinary care, exercise and rest between breeding cycles, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Officials estimate the measure, if passed, would cost state government entities more than $650,000. It is supported by the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society of Missouri, the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
For the initiative to be on the November ballot, supporters need to collect about 100,000 signatures by May 2.
Tuesday’s panel also will discuss what the ballot initiative could mean for other animal producers, Fleming said.
“It’s just a steppingstone for (animal rights activists) to control the number of cattle a farmer has, or the proper time to raise chickens,” he said. “It’s a steppingstone to regulate other areas of the industry. Who are you or I to say how many cattle or chickens a person has?”
Fleming said there will be about seven people on the panel, including representatives from various animal industries as well as from the Missouri Farm Bureau.
Kelly Smith, director of marketing and commodities for the Missouri Farm Bureau, is scheduled to speak.
The Farm Bureau has said it opposes the ballot initiative. In a March 18 column written for the bureau, Dan Cassidy, the bureau’s chief administrative officer, wrote that the ballot initiative is a way for the Humane Society of the United States to make money and target breeders. He argued that the proposal “will do nothing to help identify and prosecute unlicensed dog breeders.”
Cassidy also argued that the initiative “will not provide any additional resources to the Missouri Department of Agriculture to enforce the existing dog breeder inspection program.”
“This isn’t about focusing on bad breeders,” Cassidy wrote. “It is about targeting all dog breeders and raising more money.”
Supporters of the initiative disagree.
“Missouri citizens are not proud of the reputation the state has earned as ‘puppy mill capital of the United States,’ and they want to see the laws strengthened,” said Ginger Steinmetz, executive director of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation, in a statement.
Fleming said Tuesday’s forum is intended to be informational.
“I have my own ideas of what (animals) a person could or couldn’t have, but it’s not my place to voice those opinions,” he said. “No matter which side somebody stands on, we’re getting attention brought to the matter. This is an open-forum discussion to give folks an idea of where we’re at with all this.”
On tap
The panel and discussion, titled “Understanding the Animal Activist ... Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing,” will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Crowder College’s Williams Building, 601 Laclede Ave. in Neosho.
