March 16, 2020
The Honorable Laura Friedman, Chair
Assembly Natural Resources Committee
State Capitol Building, Room 2137
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for AB 2566: Animal Product Consumption-Based Inventory
Dear Assemblymember Friedman:
I am writing on behalf of Farm Sanctuary and our 1.2 million members and constituents to express our support for AB 2566 (Garcia). This sensible measure will help California monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and develop effective strategies for addressing the climate crisis.
Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to protect farm animals from cruelty and encouraged sustainable plant based agriculture. We operate sanctuaries for rescued farm animals in New York and California and have a long history of working on humane legislation, including Proposition 2 (2008) and Proposition 12 (2018), which were passed by California voters to restrict the inhumane confinement of animals on factory farms. We have also sponsored several bills in Sacramento, including SB 1520 (Burton) to prevent the force feeding of birds to make foie gras, which was signed into law in 2004.
Besides subjecting animals to inhumane treatment, animal agriculture is a leading cause of our planet’s most significant ecological threats, including the climate crisis. Tracking the quantity of GHG emissions produced by the industry is an important step toward addressing the crisis. Reducing animal food consumption will go a long way toward lightening our ecological footprint and lowering GHG emissions.
Eating plants directly is more efficient than growing crops to feed animals, and we can feed more people with less land and fewer resources through plant based agriculture. California is the nation’s leading agricultural state, and it serves as a model across the nation. With increasing global threats from the climate crisis, California should account for animal product consumption in its GHG emissions inventory. This measure will help the state implement more informed and effective policies for protecting the environment, and accordingly, we urge your support of AB 2566.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
Gene Baur
President & Co-Founder
Farm Sanctuary