Agriculture
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 1992:
The Range Rider, a publication of
the USDA Cooperative Extension Service at
Colorado State University, is urging sheep
farmers to rally in opposition to the
Endangered Species Act, now up for renewal.
ANIMAL PEOPLE had not actually received
a copy by deadline, but from a description
provided by James Cherry of the AmNet com-
puter network, it would appear to violate fed-
eral guidelines regarding impartiality.
Pointing out that the figure of 5.6
billion domesticated animals killed by the U.S.
food industry each year is based on the number
slaughtered and butchered, rather than on the
number born, Alex Hershaft of the Farm
Animal Reform Movement urges activists to
use the figure 7.8 billion instead––which
includes the number of male chickens who are
culled and killed immediately after hatching.
The USDA has invited public com-
ment “to help identify potential issues to be
analyzed in the environmental impact state-
ment for animal disease eradication activities,”
which include among other controverial pro-
grams the slaughter of bison who wander out
of Yellowstone National Park each winter, so
they they won’t spread brucellosis to cattle.
Comments are due by Nov. 23. Call 301-436-
8565 to get details on participation.
Beyond Beef author Jeremy Rikin
is to address the Society of Environmental
Journalists’ annual convention Nov. 8 at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
