The Rural Voice, 1991-05, Page 47NEWS
FARM ANIMAL COUN-
CIL MUST CHANGE
OR DISAPPEAR,
SAYS JOHNSTONE
by Murray Gaunt
"A land poor in livestock is never
rich, and a land rich in livestock is never
poor."
Obviously, animal welfarists and
animal rightists don't agree with that
Arab proverb. In fact, the outgoing
president of the Ontario Farm Animal
Council (OFAC) says the animal rights
movement is a threat to all segments of
animal agriculture and food production.
Jim Johnstone told the second an-
nual meeting of the organization in
Guelph recently that the threat from
animal welfarists was increasing, not
abating. Johnstone said many animal
welfarists and rightists are vegetarians
whose organizations have millions of
dollars behind them.
"We mustn't get complacent," said
Johnstone. "The organization is at a
crossroads and will have to change or
disappear," he added. The council will
soon have to decide if it will continue
with volunteers or hire its own full time
staff, said Johnstone.
Currently, much of OFAC's work is
done by volunteers like Leslie Bal-
lentine, public relations director for the
Ontario Egg Producers' Marketing
Board, and Roy Maxwell, communica-
tions director of the Ontario Chicken
Producers' Marketing Board.
OFAC, started in 1987, has a budget
of almost $157,000, much of which is
used for media and government rela-
tions. Most of the money is donated by
farm organizations such as milk, pork,
chicken, egg, and cream producers'
marketing boards, as well as the Ontario
Cattlemen's Association and the On-
tario Federation of Agriculture.
Steven Kopperud, executive direc-
tor of the Animal Industry Foundation in
Washington D.C., was the keynote
speaker.
"The animal rights movement in the
U.S. has changed its tactics," he said. "It
did so because the public saw it as ex-
treme, where many of its claims were
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MAY 1991 43