By Delci
Most veal calves in the U.S. are kept in spaces so small they can't even turn around. Ask your elected officials to ban this and other forms of cruel confinement.
With many state legislatures on recess, now’s a good time to schedule meetings with your legislators in their local district offices. Meeting face-to-face with your legislators to let them know how important farm animal issues are to you is one of the most important forms of advocacy. Anti-confinement legislation is being passed across the country, most recently in Michigan, thanks in large part to Farm Sanctuary members like you. But there’s still a lot more ground to be covered.
Farm Sanctuary can’t be everywhere at once – and legislators are often less concerned with what a national organization has to say than what you, their constituent has to say. That’s why it’s so important that you get out and ask them to sponsor legislation that ends the use of cruel veal crates, gestation crates for breeding pigs, and battery cages for egg-laying hens. And it’s not as hard as it might sound.
The first step is to schedule appointments with your state elected officials. This should be easy, because they’ve been elected to represent you and want to know what’s on their constituents’ minds. It’s your job to let them know.
If you don’t know who your state legislators are, you can look them up here. When you enter your ZIP code, a page showing your federal officials will appear; just click on the “State Officials” tab to the right of where it says “Federal Officials,” and voila: You should see your state senators and representatives (or assemblypersons). (It’s more common than you might think for people to mix up their state and federal officials, so make sure to avoid this mistake.)
In addition to the capitol offices shown on this page, each legislator has a district office much closer to you. You can find out where this district office is by clicking the link to the legislator’s home page. Contact that district office and let them know that you’re a constituent and that you would like to meet with your elected official in the district office the next time she or he is available.
Once you’ve got an appointment, the next step is to figure out what you’re going to say. It helps to go in with as clear of an “ask” as possible. In most states, I suggest asking your legislators to sponsor anti-confinement legislation, but make sure to visit our Web site before your meeting to see if such legislation is already pending – or has passed – in your state. In addition to providing this state-specific information, this page should fully prepare you for your meeting. It includes detailed information about the confinement systems at issue, as well as links to a Legislator Brief you can print out and give to your legislator, sample anti-confinement legislative language, tips on effective lobbying, and more. It’s a one-stop shop for information about anti-confinement legislation, so make sure to peruse it thoroughly. And if, after you do, you still have questions, feel free to e-mail us.
No longer is it your old country farm. Know where your food comes from.
Posted by: Beverly Ellenhorn | November 04, 2009 at 07:29 PM