Today the state health department confirmed several new cases of swine flu, bringing the total number in Florida to just under 70. Yesterday, Lakeland Ledger columnist Tom Palmer wrote about the outbreak. In his column, he noted that there is growing evidence that the recent outbreak originated in a community in southeastern Mexico that is home to several factory pig farms, and he linked the story to Florida’s 2002 ballot initiative which banned the use of cruel gestation crates on pig farms. Here’s what he wrote:
“Perhaps it’s time to rethink the ridicule that has been heaped on the ‘pregnant pig’ amendment. In 2002 Florida voters approved the so-called ‘pregnant pig’ constitutional amendment. This amendment has been the butt of ridicule ever since, mostly from politicians and other commentators who are suspicious of grassroots political activity in the first place and never really understood the benefits of the amendment for Floridians. The amendment made factory hog farming unlikely in Florida. That made it unlikely that Florida rivers would be polluted by spills from manure lagoons from these hog farms as have occurred in other states. Now there’s another possible reason this was a good amendment: swine flu.”
Good news! This week Maine’s Governor signed legislation prohibiting gestation crates (and veal crates), making Maine the fifth state to follow Florida’s lead in banning the cruel confinement of pregnant pigs in factory farms (read more here).