HSUS Forgoes its Tail Docking Ballot Proposal

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

As it turns out, Colorado voters won’t be voting on a ballot initiative about banning tail docking on dairy cattle.

The animal rights group, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and its Colorado chapter, said it will no longer be putting forward its measure to call for a ban on tail docking. At least not this election cycle.

According to a May 13 release, the main reason for the hold off is related to wording changes made to the ballot initiative in April by the Colorado Legislative Council and Title Board.

The release stated that the board, “misconstrued our simple and straightforward language. Their action effectively runs out the clock for a refile of new language.”

Colorado’s dairy industry has already pledged to phase out tail docking over the next decade. Some dairy farmers dock tails to improve cow cleanliness and is thought (by some) to improve utter health. But the practice is not as common today, as it once was.

Ballot measures are a form of direct democracy in the United States, and are like political campaigns, but only focused on certain issues. Running a campaign for and against a ballot measure can cost millions of dollars.