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The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce is a business network and advocacy organization whose chief mission is to promote business interests in the state of North Carolina. The NC Chamber is an affiliate of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Its headquarters are located in Raleigh, NC. [1]
The NC Chamber has identified three priorities, or "pillars of a strong future", that are critical to building a stronger economy in North Carolina: [2]
The NC Chamber is active in numerous issues across the political, legislative, and regulatory arenas. These issues include: education & workforce development, energy, environmental & regulatory reform, health care, infrastructure, labor & workplace issues, manufacturing, taxes, tort reform & legal claim, unemployment insurance reform, and workers' compensation. [3]
The NC Chamber comprises several local chambers of commerce from cities, towns, counties, and regions across North Carolina. Member organizations include: Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, and Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. [4]
The NC Chamber receives financial support from numerous North Carolina businesses and corporations. NC Chamber supporters and investors include: AT&T North Carolina, Bank of America, Case Farms, Coastal AgroBusiness, Food Lion, GlaxoSmithKline, Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Hillshire Farms, Hog Slat, Pilgrim's, Reynolds American, Smithfield Foods, Valley Proteins, and Wal-Mart Stores. [5]
The NC Chamber presents annual awards to individuals who have made significant contributions to the economy of North Carolina. In 2013, the NC Chamber presented the Corning Award for Distinguished Citizenship to pork producer Wendell H. Murphy, former chairman and CEO of Murphy Family Farms, an affiliate of Smithfield Foods. [6] The 2013 Award for Distinguished Public Service was presented to The Honorable David Hoyle, former NC Secretary of Revenue and member of the North Carolina State Senate. [7]
The NC Chamber coordinates numerous annual conferences, including the NC Conference on Education, Energy Conference, Environmental Management Summit, Government Affairs Conference, Health Care Summit, Manufacturing Summit, and Tax Conference. [8]
The NC Chamber is a lobbying organization that actively promotes business interests in the North Carolina General Assembly, the state's law-making body.
The NC Chamber, along with the North Carolina Commerce Coalition, was a major supporter of the NC Commerce Protection Act of 2013 (Senate Bill 648). [9] This legislation, commonly referred to as an ag-gag bill, seeks to criminalize undercover investigations by journalists and advocates seeking to document and expose illegal activity on industrial farms and other food production facilities. [10] The NC Chamber supported the NC Commerce Protection Act as a way to strengthen employment fraud prevention and reduce litigation against businesses. [11]
Opponents of the NC Commerce Protection Act expressed concern that the legislation would hinder animal cruelty and human welfare investigations at North Carolina's many agricultural and food production facilities and prevent prosecution of animal abusers. Undercover investigations have been successful in exposing animal cruelty and food safety violations. [12] Several North Carolina newspapers published editorials and opinions opposing the NC Commerce Protection Act, including the Fayetteville Observer, [13] the News & Observer, [14] and the Wilson Times Archived 2013-06-20 at the Wayback Machine . [15]
The NC Commerce Protection Act has been opposed by numerous worker and animal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Amnesty International, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the North Carolina Justice Center, the NC Press Association, and United Farm Workers. [16] [ dead link ] [17] [ dead link ]
In May 2013, the Humane Society of the United States aired a television commercial criticizing the NC Chamber's support of the NC Commerce Protection Act and the bill's hindrance of animal cruelty investigations [18] The NC Chamber responded in a statement that the bill would strengthen cruelty reporting guidelines. [19]
The NC Chamber has an affiliated NC Chamber PAC (political action committee). The North Carolina Chamber PAC endorses candidates who are committed to promoting a business-friendly agenda in the NC State Senate and NC House of Representatives. [20]
The NC Chamber produces a variety of print and on-line publications and newsletters, including the bi-weekly Business Advocate Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine , the Federation Insider, and NCBiz Central. [21]
Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, veal is more expensive by weight than beef from older cattle. Veal production is a way to add value to dairy bull calves and to utilize whey solids, a byproduct from the manufacturing of cheese.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have more than 9 million members globally.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States."
A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the mill’s dogs are disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after WWII. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffering for specific achievements, such as killing animals for entertainment; cruelty to animals sometimes encompasses inflicting harm or suffering as an end in itself, referred to as zoosadism.
Butterball is a brand of turkey and other poultry products produced by Butterball LLC. The company manufactures food products in the United States and internationally — specializing in turkey, cured deli meats, raw roasts and specialty products such as soups and salads, sandwiches, and entrées.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, animal blood sports, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.
World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is an international non-profit animal rights organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity describes its vision as: A world where animal rights matter and animal cruelty has ended.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an animal law advocacy organization. Its stated mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. It accomplishes this by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are punished for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. In addition to their national headquarters in Cotati, California, the Animal Legal Defense Fund maintains an office in Portland, Oregon.
The production of foie gras involves the controversial force-feeding of birds with more food than they would eat in the wild, and more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. The feed, usually corn boiled with fat, deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the fatty consistency sought by some gastronomes.
Proposition 2 was a California ballot proposition in that state's general election on November 4, 2008. It passed with 63% of the votes in favor and 37% against. Submitted to the Secretary of State as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, the initiative's name was amended to officially be known as the Standards for Confining Farm Animals initiative. The official title of the statute enacted by the proposition is the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.
Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies."
Ag-gag laws are anti-whistleblower laws that apply within the agriculture industry. Popularized by Mark Bittman in an April 2011 The New York Times column, the term ag-gag typically refers to state laws in the United States of America that forbid undercover filming or photography of activity on farms without the consent of their owner—particularly targeting whistleblowers of animal rights abuses at these facilities. Although these laws originated in the United States, they have also begun to appear elsewhere, such as in Australia and Canada.
Andrew Hunter Holt is an American politician who serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 76, covering Weakley County and parts of Obion and Carroll Counties. Holt is a Republican and currently serves as the vice-chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the Local Government Committee and of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. He served his first term in Tennessee's 107th General Assembly (2011-2012) and was re-elected to the 108th through 110th General Assemblies.
William Brent Jackson is an American politician and businessman serving as a Republican member of the North Carolina Senate, representing the 9th district, which includes Jones, Duplin, Pender, Bladen, and Sampson counties.
Animal welfare and rights in Canada is about the laws concerning and treatment of nonhuman animals in Canada. Canada has been considered to have weak animal welfare protections by the organization World Animal Protection. The vast majority of Canadians are for further animal protections, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Mercy for Animals.
Animal welfare and rights in South Africa is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in South Africa.
An Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals, more commonly known as Question 3, was the third initiative on the 2016 Massachusetts ballot. The measure requires Massachusetts farmers to give chickens, pigs, and calves enough room to turn around, stand up, lie down, and fully extend their limbs. It also prohibits the sale of eggs or meat from animals raised in conditions that did not meet these standards.
Animal welfare and rights in Mexico regards the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Mexico.
Proposition 12 was a California ballot proposition in that state's general election on November 6, 2018. The measure was self-titled the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act. The measure passed, by a vote of about 63% Yes to 37% No.
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