"Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, but pigs is equal." -Old English Adage
For the second time in less than 18 months, the New Jersey legislature has overwhelmingly passed a bill to ban gestation crates for pigs. After a veto by Governor Chris Christie of the first bill last year, the legislature sent a slightly modified version of the bill to governor a few weeks ago, hoping for a different outcome. But will he sign it this time?
If you're not familiar with gestation crates, they are used to tightly confine pregnant sows to the point that they're not even able to turn around, and are held in that condition for nearly their entire lives in some cases. Breeding pigs are re-impregnated almost immediately after they've given birth and their piglets are weaned, creating a multi-year cycle of being moved between gestation crates and farrowing crates. Nine states and the entire European Union have banned gestation crates for livestock, in addition to countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, which have committed to phasing out the crates.
Opponents of this bill who work in the agriculture industry claim that the crates are meant to actually protect pregnant sows and their piglets from injury. The reality is that pigs held in such tight confinement that they often develop open wounds and pressure sores from their lack of mobility. In addition, pigs have shown to be highly intelligent, with the ability to recognize faces, words and phrases. Mother sows are known to sing to their newborn piglets as they nurse them, and multiple studies have also shown adult pigs to have the cognitive and emotional ability comparable to a young child.
Support for this bill has reached an all-time high among New Jersey voters at 93% approval. So signing it should be a no brainer for Governor Christie, right? Here's where it gets tricky for him. The will of the people in Christie's home state isn't his only concern. He's also worried about how voters in Iowa might feel about him embracing the issue.
It's no secret in political circles that Chris Christie is seriously considering a run for the presidency in 2016. And all roads to the White House go through Iowa, where Republican and Democratic candidates have to make a strong showing to have any realistic chance at being nominated by their party. Iowa is the largest pork producing state in the country, and the governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, has encouraged Christie to veto the gestation crate bill. Republicans highly covet his endorsement, along with the wealthy pork producers who represent $7.5 billion of annual economic activity for Iowa.
Chris Christie has said publicly that he has an open mind about signing the gestation crate bill this time around, even as he quietly reassures donors and party insiders in Iowa that he plans to veto the bill yet again. "If a bill comes back, I will certainly consider any additional evidence that people want to put in front of me," he said. Christie, who has until December 1st to decide whether he will sign or veto the bill, has all of the evidence he needs on this issue. It's just a shame that he doesn't appear listening to it.
Want to make your voice heard?
Please make a quick, polite phone call to Gov. Christie's office at 609.292.6000.
Rather e-mail him?http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/
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