Kids testify on animal confinement ban

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A trio of young girls who work with cows at their local farm in Ipswitch testified before lawmakers Wednesday supporting a bill that that bans intense confinement of farm animals in Massachusetts – a common practice in large factory farms.

“I feel sad for the animals,” said Nora Hughes of Appleton Farms. “If we were in crates for that long we’d get tired and sore”

“I think it’s horrible that [cows are] enclosed in small areas for their whole life, they should be able to act like themselves and be themselves and express their personalities,” said Chloe Lindahl, also of Appleton Farms.

The bill they support prohibits farms animals from being confined in small spaces that prevents them from lying down, standing up, or turning around freely.

“It bans two of the most egregious forms of factory farming and that is the use of gestation crates for pregnant sows and veal crates for calves raised for veal,” said Alexis Fox, state director for the Humane Society of the United States in Massachusetts.

Currently there are no factory farms in Massachusetts. Animal advocates say they want to keep it that way by preventing large Midwestern factory farms from being able to bring their harmful practices to Massachusetts. Moreover, they want to prevent them from competing with small family farms that treat animals humanely.

“We have a lot of family farms here, they’re very small scale and not using these practices,” said Jonathan Ward, an Amherst member of Farm Forward, a non-profit that promotes sustainability and conscientious living. “We’re getting a lot of pressure from national organizations that say it’s ok to be cruel in Massachusetts if people want to be.”

If the bill is passed, offenders would be fined $1000 dollars and face jail time for up to 6 months.