Denver – IO 309 – Will Ban Meat Processing
During the 2024 election cycle, Denver citizens will find Initiated Ordinance 309 on their ballots. If voted into law, IO 309 will ban slaughterhouses in the city and county of Denver. The proposed ordinance will require slaughterhouses in these areas to close or relocate and will prohibit the opening of any new slaughterhouses. The animal rights group Pro Animal Futures, a known anti-animal agriculture organization, wrote and pushed forward this ordinance.
The ban has a special focus on sheep and lamb processing, which is much of the slaughter activity in Denver, according to a study conducted by Colorado State University (CSU). If passed, the ordinance will be implemented on January 1, 2026.
Animal Rights Has Nothing to Do with the Welfare of Animals
For those unfamiliar with animal rights, knowing it has nothing to do with animal welfare is important. Animal welfare focuses on the health and well-being of animals in human care. Conversely, animal rights activists believe in the ideology that there is no distinction between animals and humans. They view animal ownership as exploitation and slavery. Because of this viewpoint, animal rights groups are not concerned about animal welfare, their goal is to eliminate animals from human care. This is an important distinction when considering legislation and ordinances pushed by these groups. They are not concerned with improving the welfare of animals, they simply want humans to stop utilizing animals. The true goal of animal rights groups is to work for legislation and humane care only until all animals are no longer owned or utilized by human beings. According to the North Carolina Responsible Animal Owners Alliance, “The animal rights movement is about control, not animal welfare. Supporting legislation based on emotional and philosophical interpretation provides a platform for incremental increases toward animal status changes in our legal system.” When you are at the polls this November, we urge you to keep this in mind and consider the long-term consequences and the dangerous precedent this ban would set.
USDA Regulates Animal Welfare
To be clear, this ban on slaughterhouses in the city and county of Denver has nothing to do with animal welfare and everything to do with forcing a fringe ideology on the people of Colorado and beyond. There are laws in place to protect the welfare of animals in our food system, which several federal agencies enforce. The laws and regulations oversee the humane transport, handling, and processing of livestock within the United States.
Superior Farms
Superior Farms, located in the city of Denver, is an employee-owned company and the largest sheep processing plant in Colorado. It is one of the main targets of the ban. Superior Farms is one of the five sheep harvest facilities in the United States that has an annual harvest capacity of more than 100,000 animals, according to a Colorado State University (CSU) Regional Economic Development Institute (REDI) study.
Rick Scott, chief executive officer of Superior Farms, shared his thoughts on the goals of the ban with Meat + Poultry magazine by stating he believes Pro Animal Future’s goal is “to eliminate animal ag in the state of Colorado.”
The Economic Impact
According to the CSU study, growing concerns among opponents of the ban are centered around the negative economic impact the ban will have on the local economy, with a specific focus on how it will impact livestock producers. The CSU study found that the total annual output of the animal processing sector in Denver is greater than $382 million and creates more than $45 million in employee compensation from the 600 jobs provided by the industry.
Overall, the state of Colorado, had total economic outputs from the animal processing sector of over $6 billion dollars, created nearly 10,000 jobs, and compensated employees over $658 million, according to the CSU study. Losing the Denver animal processing sector, has the potential to be devastating to not just Denver, but Colorado’s economy as a whole.
More than Animal Agriculture will be Impacted
The loss of slaughterhouses will reach into many sectors of the Denver economy, creating a domino effect. Some of the Denver sectors relative to animal processing’s economic contribution are oil and gas extraction, distilleries, air transportation, bakeries, management of companies and enterprises, and real estate. This is just a small portion of the sectors that have the potential to be negatively impacted by the slaughter ban. In total, 18 related sectors will be impacted if the ban is passed.
The CSU study highlighted three main economic scenarios that would have the potential to occur if the slaughterhouse ban were passed in November. They are as follows:
1. If all processing in Denver is closed and then leaves the state of Colorado, this would lead to an estimated $861 million reduction of economic activity and would reduce the workforce by over 2,787 jobs.
2. If one-half of the shuttered slaughterhouses relocate elsewhere in Colorado and Denver businesses adjust to the lack of economic activity, it still leaves lost economic activity at greater than $430 million and reduces the workforce by 1,394 jobs.
3. If businesses in Colorado expand their capacity to 80% of the level of Denver slaughterhouses, even at 80% of economic capacity, there will still be an economic activity loss of over $215 million and a workforce reduction of over 697 jobs.
It is clear that CSU’s least damaging scenario, 3, will still have an immensely negative impact on Denver’s economy, both through job loss and economic loss. Yet, anti-animal agriculture groups continue to push the ban with the disingenuous and incorrect narrative that it will help Denver move in a positive direction.
What You Can Do
If IO 309 passes in Denver, it will set a dangerous precedent and will embolden animal rights groups to push similar bans in other cities nationwide. Livestock production accounts for 66% of Colorado’s agricultural industry and infuses over $7 billion into the state’s economy. If we can't stop a ban like IO 309 in the city and county of Denver, what will happen in other states?
If you are a resident of the city or county of Denver, show up this November and vote NO on Initiated Ordinance 309.
Staying informed and aware is the first step to stopping anti-animal legislation like the Denver Slaughter Ban. If you are outside of Denver, you can still make an impact. Share information and speak up about the negative impacts the ban will have on Denver, the state of Colorado, and livestock production across the country.
Links
Colorado State University Study Overview HERE
Colorado State University Report HERE
Protect The Harvest article about the Denver Slaughter Ban HERE
The Colorado Sun article HERE
Information about Pro-Animal Futures HERE
Meat + Poultry article HERE
Colorado Agricultural Statistics 2023 HERE
Colorado Department of Agriculture 2022 Census HERE
Stop the Ban website HERE