PAUSE - Initiative 16 Okayed by Title Board
A coalition of agriculture groups says it will ask the state supreme court to review a decision by the Title Board which okayed a ballot title for a controversial citizens initiative.
Initiative 16 - Protect Animals from Unnecessary Suffering and Exploitation or PAUSE would expand animal cruelty protections for livestock.
The ag coalition, Coloradans for Animal Care, objected to the ballot title arguing it violates the required one-subject rule. The group says the title has multiple subjects; PAUSE would remove “accepted animal husbandry practices” from the existing animal cruelty law. It would expand the description of sexual acts with an animal, and put requirements on the age of livestock for slaughter.
Joyce Kelly, Executive Director of the Colorado Pork Producers Council, says beyond the issue with the multiple subjects, the initiative would essentially criminalize certain animal husbandry practices.
“ We have veterinarians says this is just going to destroy animal care because it says even if you were to accidentally touch the private area of livestock, then that could be considered animal abuse. There is talk saying we understand there are animal husbandry practices that have to be looked at. But if you took the extreme of it. You could not even have a veterinarian clean the anal glands on your dog if they needed it.”
The coalition fighting the PAUSE initiative includes the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Dairy Farmers, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Colorado Livestock Association, and Colorado Pork Producers Association.
A statement from the Coloradan for Animal Care says, “There are at least three subjects in the initiative and the language of the title is still inaccurate and misleading, and we hope the Supreme Court will agree."
