As this impacts me in no way whatsoever, there's some amusement to the hand-wringing here.
First, quoting the initial post, "Oregon Initiative Petition 28, which its proponents call the PEACE Act, would criminalize any intentional harm to an animal in the state of Oregon. In practice, that means ... ranching and all meat production and processing become criminal acts. It means breeding dairy cows for milk is outlawed." For the opponents, this is a pretty amusing way to admit that ranching and meat production are intentionally harmful (emphasis mine).
Second, I took a look at the proposal and seems like the proposed amendments to existing law are mostly for bedding/shelter standards, generally applied to domestic animals, concerns on self-defense, changing some stuff on sexual abuse of animals, and changes to violation classes and punishments.
Finally, the proposal gets down to Section 9, which is as follows (bold is the proposed amended text): [edit: italics signify removal, leaving only a and b]
"Section 9. ORS 167.335 is amended to read:
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, unless gross negligence can be shown, the provisions of ORS 167.315 (Animal abuse in the second degree) to 167.333 (Sexual assault of an animal) do not apply to:
(a) [
The treatment of livestock being transported by owner or common carrier;]
Situations of self-defense when it is necessary to defend against the threat of immediate harm to oneself, to other humans, or to other animals;
(b) Animals involved in rodeos or similar exhibitions;
(c) Commercially grown poultry;
(d) Animals subject to good animal husbandry practices;
(e) The killing of livestock according to the provisions of ORS 603.065 (Slaughter methods);
(f)](b) Animals subject to good veterinary practices as described in ORS 686.030 (Acts constituting practice of veterinary medicine);
(g) Lawful fishing, hunting and trapping activities;
(h) Wildlife management practices under color of law;
(i) Lawful scientific or agricultural research or teaching that involves the use of animals;
(j) Reasonable activities undertaken in connection with the control of vermin or pests; and
(k) Reasonable handling and training techniques."
Maybe I'm misreading something here, but seems like typical livestock and animal husbandry, hunting and fishing, and pest control are all exempt from this proposal. [Edit, definitely misinterpreted the format].
Link to the bill:
https://sos.oregon.gov/admin/Documents/irr/2026/028text.pdf
