On Wednesday, in a front page article titled, "Farmers Lean to Truce on Animals' Close Quarters," The New York Times reported that factory farming "is on the verge of significant change."Citing the landmark agreement reached in Ohio on June 30, and the new egg bill just signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, the article recognizes "the growing clout of the animal welfare movement," and notes that these recent successes follow a 2008 all-out ban of extreme caging systems in California, as well as legislation restricting such systems in Michigan, Florida, Arizona and other states. The article cites a mounting animal rights movement and consumer concerns about animal cruelty, pollution and antibiotic use in giant livestock operations as driving these reforms.
The Times article portrays a pervasive resignation on the part of Ohio farmers, who grudgingly accepted the Ohio agreement, but realize that "they must bend with the political and cultural winds." As Keith Stimpert, a senior vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, said, "We all know change is coming."
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