COUNTY OF KIOWA, STATE OF COLORADO

RESOLUTION NO. 2021-4

OPPOSING BALLOT INITIATIVE 16 IN SUPPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY AND

THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

WHEREAS, on March 17, 2021, a citizens initiative entitled "Protect Animals from Unnecessary

Suffering and Exploitation" (PAUSE) was approved by the Title Board of the Colorado Secretary of State for petition to the November 2022 General Election as Initiative 16; and

WHEREAS, this Board abhors the infliction of needless suffering of animals and recognizes that our livestock producers take great effort to treat their animals humanely; and

WHEREAS, the initiative is an industry-killing effort that will disrupt all aspects of meat production, sales, and export; and

WHEREAS, the initiative criminalizes farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians who use accepted animal husbandry practices to care for animals; and

WHEREAS, the initiative changes state statutory language to define common animal care practices as cruelty to animals; and

WHEREAS, the initiative bans slaughter for animals that have lived less than 25 percent of their "natural" life span; and

WHEREAS, the initiative criminalizes the following common and necessary veterinary and animal husbandry practices: spaying and neutering, birthing assistance, reproductive practices including artificial insemination, pregnancy diagnosis, fertility testing, and others; and

WHEREAS, the initiative eliminates numerous accepted animal husbandry practices, opening the door to animal cruelty prosecution for common and necessary practices such as feeding, sheltering and transportation; and

WHEREAS, the economic impact to farmers, ranchers, meat cutters, veterinarians, and many other related industries would be tremendous and negative; and

WHEREAS, it has been reported that the Governor of Colorado agrees that the PAUSE initiative would "hurt Colorado, and destroy jobs."

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of County Commissioners of Kiowa County,

Colorado, that the Board opposes this initiative and urges the Governor of Colorado and Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture to continue to do the same; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this Board urges all citizens of Kiowa County to decline to sign any petition that supports placing Initiative 16 (PAUSE) on the November 2022 ballot and also encourages all Kiowa County citizens to educate others about the importance of agriculture to the entire State of Colorado; and 

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED, that all people that care about the well-being of animals - be they

livestock, pets, service animals, or other - take action to defeat this measure if it does make the November 2022 ballot.

ADOPTED this 13th day of May, 2021.

THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

OF KIOWA COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO

Donald Oswald, Chairman

Howard "Butch" Robertson

Michael Lening

ATTEST:

Delisa Weeks, County Clerk