Proposed Denver slaughterhouse ban would kill jobs, opposition says

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Opposition has formed regarding a Denver ballot initiative that would outlaw slaughterhouses in Denver.

Initiative 309 comes from Pro Animal Future and will appear on the November ballot. The group is an animal rights organization that wants to end mass farming. “Pro-Animal Future is a collective of voters, volunteers, and small donors building a political movement to end factory farming,” according to its website. “We use grassroots campaigns to turn public support for animals into law. We are a citizen-led movement away from the exploitation, animal cruelty, and environmental pollution of factory farming, and towards a brighter future based on a more just, sustainable, and compassionate food system. We are brought together by a vision of a world without animal cruelty. Through our campaigns, we are pushing for changes to the industries that cause both animal and human suffering.”

But if the ballot initiative passes, a slaughterhouse in Globeville, Superior Farms, which provides more than 100 good-paying jobs, would have to close. Employees of the slaughterhouse spoke against Initiative 309 at Monday’s City Council meeting.

Employee speaks on behalf of slaughterhouse

“I started cleaning and worked in every department and am now operations manager at the facility in Denver,” Isabel Bautista said. “I have a stake in Superior Farms. If the company does well, I participate in that success. This job means financial security to me and my family but it’s also a job I love.”

She asks voters to “consider the workers when they fill out their ballots this year. Please vote no on 309.”

King Sooper’s manager says prices will go up

Ashley Bagley, assistant deli manager at the King Sooper’s at Krameria and 14^th near City Park, also opposes Initiative 309. She told the council it will raise food prices in addition to the devastating impact it would have on Superior Farms. “It won’t improve animal welfare or create productive conversations about our food system,” Bagley said.

She said meat would be imported from New Zealand if the local slaughterhouse were to close, greatly impacting the carbon footprint.

Council member also opposes initiative

Denver City Council member Darrell Watson also opposes 309, according to The Fence Post, a website focusing on the agriculture industry.

What’s unique about Superior Farms is it is employee owned so it’s not only a pillar and an important business within the community, it’s owned by the employees that work there,” Watson told The Fence Post. “These are amazingly good paying jobs and they’re generational jobs. Grandparents, children, and grandchildren all work at Superior Farms, and are able to purchase and live in homes in the Globeville community where they love and choose to be.”

According to The Fence Post, “Watson said the proponents did not reach out to him as the elected official representing the district he has called home for 30 years.”

Slaughterhouses bad for waterways, group says

According to the Pro Animal Future website, 91% of Denverites say animals deserve to be treated humanely, according to a Pax Fauna poll. The poll also showed 83% of Denver voters are concerned about the use of animals for food and 71% are opposed to the killing of animals for fur.

The website also reports Superior Farms is just 80 feet from the Platte River. It claims such operations can be damaging to waterways. Approximately 55 million pounds of blood and other animal waste go into waterways annually, according to the website.