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State Representative Jim Buchy
Eat
Traditional—Favor Traditionally Raised Food
In western Ohio our family farms are working diligently to provide high
quality wholesome food to the world. Yet, elitist vegetarians and
the HSUS are working to destroy production agriculture piece by piece.
In particular you can find evidence of the misinformation campaign when
examining the latest marketing techniques in this country. This
is why you see a push for food labeling in grocery stores that tricks
consumers into thinking one food is healthier than another with no
scientific proof of benefit.
Take for instance the argument against meat that has been treated with
antibiotics. The use of antibiotics keeps our livestock healthy.
Those who practice animal husbandry are concerned first and foremost
about animal safety and the quality of the product brought to market.
If agriculture responds to the scare tactics employed by anti-meat
activists and ill advised marketers they may risk the future of the
farming industry. We must not abandon the advanced techniques that
modern farming has brought to our traditional family farms. Antibiotic
free farms will see reduced production and cause food prices to soar.
Consumers deserve a choice and in ag country we have a responsibility
to ensure that their decisions are grounded in facts.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and meat packing plants
are very serious about drug residue requirements. You cannot give
an animal antibiotics and then send it to the packing house.
Livestock that enters the food supply is always antibiotic free.
Many families have decided to reduce antibiotic intake in their homes,
but livestock antibiotics are what keeps the meat healthy and are very
different from the human antibiotics. There is a growing misconception
that antibiotics are used as a type of growth promoter in livestock and
that these same antibiotics will end up in the meat we consume. This is
simply not true and we must be skeptical of any claim that antibiotics
are unsafe for animals or we will see the options for dinner consist of
rice and bananas. Now you try to find me rice and bananas that
are “local.”
The term “antibiotic free” is not allowed in meat package labeling by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is simply a marketing term used
to mislead the public. In reality, livestock raised with antibiotics
are simply kept disease-free and healthy ensuring a better product when
marketed.
The war on production agriculture threatens our ability to provide
affordable, healthy, nutritious food for our families. It also
threatens the economic stability of our communities’ family farms. We
cannot allow fads to take our traditional family farms back in time..
Those fighting caged chickens, gestation crates and medicine for
livestock seem to be in favor of a vegetarian society.
Stand with our traditional family farms that produce the most wholesome
and best food in the world. Please join me in eating only food from
traditional family farms. Let’s call it, “eat traditional!”
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchymarch2016
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