An activist organization, End Animal Cruelty, is proposing a disturbing ballot initiative in Oregon that would effectively end animal agriculture within the state. In its early stages, the required 1,000 signatures have been submitted to draft the ballot title. Commonly called IP-13, the group needs to gather 112,000 signatures for this initiative to appear on the November 2022 Oregon ballot. The proposed bill criminalizes farming, ranching, hunting, trapping, pest control, and killing animals for any reason. IP-13 targets and outrageously attacks animal agriculture, such as adding “breeding domestic, livestock, and equine animals” to the list of activities that constitute sexual assault of an animal, which would make artificial insemination a sex crime.

The use of ballot initiatives against animal agriculture is a concerning action. The Oregon initiative is similar to one recently found unconstitutional by the Colorado Supreme Court. In a 7-0 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court found the ballot initiative contained multiple subjects, and given its complexity, could mislead a voter. The Colorado decision does not necessarily apply to Oregon state laws and its constitution.

Oregonians for Animal Care is opposing the petition. See also “Oregon’s IP-13: Help Us Stop This Threat to Agriculture,” from the Oregon Farm Bureau and “Animal Extremists Coming For Oregon Next to Criminalize Animal Husbandry,” from the Protect the Harvest website.