The Washington D.C.-based Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) recently began running radio ads in St. Louis attacking Chris Koster for standing up for Missouri farmers. Koster has been endorsed for Governor by Missouri’s leading agricultural organizations. Radio ads responding to HSUS’s attack on Koster will begin airing later this week.
“The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is at it again, using their huge out-of-state war chest to condemn Missouri agriculture by running attack ads against Chris Koster,” said Keith Stevens, president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. “HSUS should leave Missouri alone!”
The radical HSUS opposed Missouri’s Right to Farm Amendment in 2014 that was supported by Koster, opposed the bipartisan dog breeder reform legislation in 2011 that was also supported by Koster and opposes Koster’s legal challenges to California’s egg production law that could cripple egg production in Missouri.
“No acronym symbolizes anti-agriculture quite like HSUS. They don’t support today’s agriculture, they don’t support consumers having food choices and they absolutely don’t have Midwest values and beliefs,” said Blake Hurst, president of Missouri Farm Bureau.
HSUS, whose name contains the words Humane Society, deceptively raises money from the public who believe they are contributing to local pet shelters. Instead, the organization uses the money for their anti-agriculture agenda and for political campaigns like the one they are running against Koster. HSUS and their co-defendants even paid $15.75 million in 2014 to settle a lawsuit filed against it under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
“Missourians need to fight back and say “No!” to out-of-state groups like HSUS. Koster has supported Missouri agriculture. It’s time we support him,” said Hurst.
The agricultural organizations endorsing Koster for Governor include the Missouri Farm Bureau, the Missouri Cattlemen Association, the Missouri Soybean Association, the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Pork Association.
