Leaders say felony provision would disrupt HSUS push

By SEAN ELLIS

Capital Press

SUN VALLEY, Idaho -- The Idaho Cattle Association will lead an effort to add a felony provision to the state's animal welfare law during the 2012 legislative session.

After discussing the idea with other animal groups in Idaho, ICA members passed a resolution in support of it Nov. 15 during their annual meeting in Sun Valley.

Animal welfare groups in Idaho are gathering signatures for a 2012 animal welfare ballot initiative that would make a third animal cruelty conviction a felony.

The ICA believes that unilaterally adding the felony provision to Idaho statute would remove the need for the ballot initiative and make the state less of a target for the Humane Society of the United States.

Normal livestock industry practices such as branding, removing horning and castration are exempt from the state's animal cruelty provisions, but ICA officials are concerned that if the HSUS gets involved in the ballot initiative, it would be much more severe and could seek to redefine animal welfare.

ICA Executive Vice President Wyatt Prescott said that while there are no guarantees, "we believe (the legislation) will take a significant amount of attention away from out state."

Mainly because it's one of only three states that doesn't have a felony provision for animal cruelty, Idaho is ranked 50th of 51 states and the District of Columbia on the HSUS list of those most friendly toward animal rights.

HSUS is by far the most powerful animal rights organization in the country and has its sights set on Idaho because of this fact, ICA members were told by Kay Johnson Smith, executive vice president of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a pro-ranching group that represents ranchers, producer groups, suppliers, packers and processors.

"Idaho needs to be concerned," Johnson said of the possibility HSUS could enter the fray. "Idaho is one of their top targets. They consider you to be very, very bad."

ICA officials have discussed their proposal with other farm groups and believe most would support it. But some are still noncommittal because they haven't seen a formal proposal yet.

"We have not seen the legislation," said Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen's Association, which includes every dairy producer in the state as a member.

Until IDA has seen the legislation and had a chance to thoroughly review it, "we really won't be on board with it," Naerebout said. "We're not making a commitment one way or the other until we see it."