The keynote speaker for the New York Farm Bureau farm animal welfare conference was David Martosko, the Director of Research for the Center for Consumer Freedom. I was extremely impressed by Martosko – he is a dynamic speaker who is understands the misrepresentations that animal groups make to the public. In particularly, Martosko criticized the Humane Society of the United …
Part III: Debrief from NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
At the recent New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Farm Animal Welfare Conference, Kay Johnson Smith from the Animal Agriculture Alliance was one of the keynote speakers. I was extremely impressed by her poise and presence. I love seeing such powerful, articulate women in the forefront of agriculture issues in Washington. The underlying theme of Ms. Smith’s talk was that those …
Part II: Debrief from NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
At the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) farm animal welfare conference, Mr. McNally and myself had the opportunity to address farm animal cruelty laws here in New York. I discussed the laws from a defense standpoint while Mr. McNally was knowledgeable from the prosecution side. My outline that was provided to conference attendees is available on JD Supra here. As …
Part I: Debrief From NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
If you have been following my blog then you know that last Thursday I was a panelist for the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) farm animal welfare conference in Albany titled “What Every Livestock Owner Needs to Know . . . A Positive Approach.” There was a great crew of speakers for the event including Patrick Hooker, the New York …
YPC Spotlight: Interview with YPC Chair Dustin Dean
As you know, I am very involved with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association‘s (“NCBA”) Young Producers’ Council (“YPC”). I was able to get our Chair, Dustin Dean, to answer a few questions for me about YPC. Dustin is from Texas and I have known him since my days at Texas A & M University (when he was attending that other Texas ag …
Canada and Mexico Moving Forward with Complaint Against United States to WTO
Last winter, I wrote this article which noted that Canada and Mexico both filed complaints with the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) against the United States. Canada and Mexico asserted that our Country-of-Origin Labeling (“COOL”) law violates the international standards of the WTO. Our North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) partners have experienced a significant decline in agriculture revenues due to …
Transporting New York Livestock for More Than 28 Hours Without Rest
It is a crime in New York to transport animals for more than 28 consecutive hours without 5 hours of rest along with available food and water. See N.Y. Agric. & Mkts Law § 359. If the owner or person in charge of the shipment provides written consent, then the livestock can be transported no more than 36 consecutive hours. …
Outline Available of Farm Animal Cruelty Laws in New York
I will be a panelist tomorrow at the New York Farm Bureau animal welfare conference in Albany, New York discussing animal cruelty laws that affect New York livestock producers. In preparation for the event, I developed an outline that will be distributed at the conference. My outline is available online here. For those of you who cannot make it, the …
Ag Torts 101: Duty and Standard of Care
As noted in this previous blog, the common law elements of negligence are: 1) duty, 2) breach, 3) causation, and 4) damages. The most important element is duty. So when does one owe a legal duty to another? If there is a duty then what standard of care applies? The general rule is that a person or business owes a …
Connecticut Farm Link Program
Pursuant to Pub. Act No. 07-4, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture established a Farm Link program “to establish a database of farmers and agriculture land owners who intend to sell their farm operations or agricultural land.” The database is maintained by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and is available online here. The goal of the program is to help keep …
Horse Transportation Requirements in New York
Pursuant to N.Y. Agric. & Mkts Law § 359-a, there are specific requirements in New York for transporting horses. These requirements are New York specific. If you are interested in the requirements in your state, you should contact a local attorney. Pursuant to section 359-a(1), “[e]very vehicle utilized for the transportation of more than six horses shall meet the following …