Denver residents will soon vote on Initiated Ordinance 309, a landmark ballot measure that would ban commercial slaughter operations within city limits. The initiative would close the city's last remaining slaughterhouse, which has found itself in hot water for numerous regulatory violations and faces public scrutiny as Denver decides their fate through a vote.
DENVER, Nov. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The citizen-led measure has pitted a corporation with annual revenues exceeding $250 million against a volunteer-powered organization. It is now at the center of the most expensive campaign on the city's ballot, with nearly $2 Million being spent against the grassroots initiative. But ultimately, it will be up to Denver voters to decide whether the facility should be shut down.
The Denver slaughterhouse, owned by California-based Superior Farms, has earned unwanted attention in recent months with unearthed public records and recent investigations revealing numerous legal and regulatory violations:
- Hidden camera footage documented violations of federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and halal protocols, prompting legal experts at the University of Denver's Animal Activist Legal Defense Project to call for criminal charges in a letter to the DA
- EPA records show Clean Water Act violations spanning four years, with the facility recently incurring a nearly violating the Clean Air Act due to improper handling of hazardous chemicals on-site
- Freedom of Information Act records obtained by Civil Eats found over 600 instances of non-compliance with USDA standards at the Denver facility since 2019. They have been fined $91,811 for labor violations in the last decade
- Employees in Denver sued the company in 2021 alleging racial and religious discrimination after Muslim workers were repeatedly subjected to racial slurs. The suit alleges they were fired for refusing to fraudulently certify meat as halal
Temple Grandin, a paid consultant for the factory farming industry, reviewed the undercover footage. Contrary to an analysis by legal experts, she acknowledges instances of mishandling while maintaining that these abuses don't violate the law. Chris Carraway, an attorney with the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at the University of Denver, says Grandin's stamp of approval on the footage raises a more fundamental point, remarking that "If videos of beating sheep, neglecting obvious injuries, hanging sheep upside down and slitting their throats are 'normal', then that is an indictment on industrial slaughter in and of itself."
The slaughterhouse sits alongside the South Platte River in Denver's Globeville neighborhood, a primarily Latino neighborhood with nearly double the average poverty rate of Denver. Here, residents face disproportionately high rates of industrial pollution, bearing the designation of the most polluted residential zip code in the country. Several spokespeople for Superior Farms have stated the company will not relocate if the ban passes, addressing concerns about the operation simply moving elsewhere.
Opponents of the measure have argued the facility's closure would put 164 workers out of their jobs, mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants. But former employees have spoken out against the treatment of workers at the facility, and online reviews describe long hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions.
"This isn't just about ending commercial slaughter in our city, it's about starting a movement toward a more humane, sustainable, and just food system," said Olivia Hammond, a spokesperson for Pro-Animal Future, the organization behind Ordinance 309. The slaughterhouse measure includes provisions to support affected workers through Denver's Green Jobs Program, funded by the city's $40 million Climate Protection Fund.
If passed, Denver would become one of the first major U.S. cities to ban commercial slaughter operations, potentially creating a blueprint for other municipalities to follow.
Media Contact
Olivia Hammond, Pro-Animal Future, 1 (860)392-8043, [email protected], proanimal.org
SOURCE Pro-Animal Future
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