2016 Massachusetts Question 3

rdf:langString 2016 Massachusetts Question 3

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rdf:langString Three long rows of wire cages stacked on top of each other. Each cage contains multiple white chickens with red combs and wattles. Most chickens are poking their heads through the wire, allowing them to reach a long trough . Below the trough is a shelf onto which eggs have rolled from inside the cages. There is very little room between each chickens.

rdf:langString A row of cages made of large, widely spaced metal bars with no tops but with two long straps running over the pigs' heads and forequarters. In each cage, nearly filling the available space, is a large pink pig, facing away from the camera. One pig is standing, showing a large belly with several prominent teats. In front of the row of pigs is a cement area followed by another row of pigs facing them; a piece of paper is clipped to a string above each pig's head. Traces of blue markings are visible on the hindquarters of some pigs. A large three-bladed fan sits still over the row of pigs, and light filters in from some distance in front of the pigs, possibly obscuring another row of pigs. The floor is slatted, and chunks of excrement are visible.

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rdf:langString A calf in a narrow cage

rdf:langString Egg-laying hens in battery cages

rdf:langString Gestation crates for pregnant sows

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rdf:langString Confinement practices banned by Question 3

rdf:langString A baby calf in the nursery.jpg

rdf:langString Gestation crates 2.jpg

rdf:langString Source: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

rdf:langString Gallery of photographs of chicken cages at Diemand Farm, a point of controversy during the campaign.

rdf:langString Contains the full text and summary of the initiative, with brief arguments in favor and against.

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rdf:langString Conditions for Farm Animals

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rdf:langString An Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals, more commonly known as Question 3, was the third initiative on the 2016 Massachusetts ballot. The measure requires Massachusetts farmers to give chickens, pigs, and calves enough room to turn around, stand up, lie down, and fully extend their limbs. It also prohibits the sale of eggs or meat from animals raised in conditions that did not meet these standards. In 2016, eleven other states had enacted laws against some of these forms of confinement, and California had a law prohibiting the sale of any eggs from chickens kept in small cages. The measure was supported by the Humane Society of the United States and its allies, and opposed by regional and national animal agriculture groups. Proponents argued that the initiative represented a modest animal welfare reform that would benefit food safety, while opponents rejected both claims and warned that the regulations would sharply increase the price of animal products, harming low-income Massachusetts residents. The measure was overwhelmingly approved by voters, with 77.6% of votes in favor, becoming the broadest statute against farm animal confinement in the country. It took full effect on January 1, 2022. Question 3 has been the subject of two legal challenges. The first, attempting to block it from the ballot for procedural reasons, was ruled against by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in July 2016. The second was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by a coalition of agricultural states, claiming Question 3's provisions violated the dormant Commerce Clause; the Court declined to hear the case in January 2019.