California voters in the major agricultural region of Sonoma County overwhelmingly voted down a controversial ballot proposal to phase out large farms in a win for the meat industry.
The ballot initiative Measure J, which about 85% of the voters opposed, would have banned large livestock farms also known as concentrated animal feeding operations. Proponents said the measure would protect animal welfare as well as provide a national model to transform food systems away from large-scale agriculture.
Around two dozen CAFOs operate in Sonoma County, including four owned by poultry giant Perdue Farms through subsidiary Petaluma Poultry. However, the majority of the state’s CAFOs are in California’s Central Valley.
The ballot measure in the rural county spurred broad pushback from farmers, who expressed concern that the loss of large farms could have ripple effects throughout the agricultural economy.
If all dairy and poultry farms in Sonoma County were to close, that would result in a $381 million loss to the local economy, including significant job and wage losses, according to a government sponsored impact report.