Agriculture Opposes State Vet Board Selection

Agriculture Opposes State Vet Board Selection

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

Colorado ranchers and farmers have serious doubts about one new member of the State Board of Veterinary Medicine

They are asking Governor Polis to reconsider his selection of Ellen Kessler to the veterinary board’s public at large position.

Rancher and Fencepost.com assistant editor Rachel Gabel says Ellen Kessler is a self-proclaimed animal rights activist. Her social media posts include claims that she is “Vegan AF” and “Extreme. Annoying. Vegan.”

And Gabel tells Colorado Ag Today, Kessler hit a nerve in the community when she recently posted on social media that, “4-H clubs teach children that animal lives don’t matter.”

Gabel: “It’s not about whether she decided to have plant-based protein or if she likes or doesn’t like 4H. What this is about is protecting our large animal veterinarians and our food animal veterinarians that are vitally important to agriculture here in Colorado. They are hard to find. A good vet out here is hard to find. We’re facing a veterinary shortage and we have one of the top veterinary colleges in the country. We certainly don’t want to do anything that might cause our veterinarians to look for another state in which to practice.”

Appointees will serve until their respective confirmation hearings during the next legislative session beginning in January. Gabel has written a letter to the Governor asking that Ellen Kessler’s appointment be “retracted prior to her confirmation hearing.” The Colorado Livestock Association has also written a letter and supports a petition seeking Kessler's removal from the board.

A message to Kessler from Colorado Ag Today for comment has not been answered.

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