Evrek Smith

Questionnaire Responses

Background

Question: Can you briefly tell us a story that impacted the way you feel about animals?

Response: In Middle School we read Animal Farm and learned pigs are as smart (at least) as toddlers. The idea of eating a toddler disgusts me, and learning pigs were similarly sentient made me contemplate animals. Thinking about how similar we are, and how our ability to experience and feel was probably shared by them made me realize their feelings deserve protection; no harm is good, and that’s true for animals.

Prohibiting the Sale of Force-Fed Foie Gras

Question: Foie gras is an especially cruel product because of its reliance on force-feeding ducks and geese. California has a statewide ban on the sale and production of foie gras, and several other U.S. cities have enacted sales bans. Would you support or sponsor a statewide ban on the sale of force-fed foie gras in Oregon?

Response: Yes.

Prohibiting the Sale of New Animal Fur

Question: Fur production relies on cruel practices, such as extreme confinement. California has a statewide ban on the sale of new fur products, and several U.S. cities have enacted sales bans.
Would you support or sponsor a statewide ban on the sale of new fur products in Oregon?

Response: Yes.

Prohibiting the Sale of Octopus

Question: Farmed octopus is an especially cruel product because of the extreme confinement and high-density conditions required to raise them. California has a statewide ban on the sale and production of farmed octopus, and several other U.S. states have enacted or proposed sales bans. Would you support a citywide ban on the sale and production of farmed octopus?

Response: Yes.

Sustainable Food Procurement

Question: Public institutions in Oregon subsidize animal-based foods regardless of their cruelty, environmental impact, or threat to public health. Would you support policies for public institutions in Oregon to prioritize climate-friendly food and limit high-confinement animal products, such as setting ambitious goals for plant-based procurement?

Response: Yes.

Use of Dangerous Poisons

Question: Oregon law allows the use of rodenticides that are restricted or banned in states like California due to their documented harm to wildlife, pets, and children. Death by poisoning is widely considered to cause extreme suffering, often taking days. Would you support or sponsor legislation that minimizes death by poison, such as shifting state agencies toward fertility control instead of glue traps and rodenticides, or prohibiting the sale of glue traps and the most dangerous poisons?

Response: Yes.

Other

Question: What else would you like to share?

Response: I’m not vegan due to health complications that arose when trying to be vegan, but I’m trying to avoid animal products where I can. Animals have the right to exist free of harm, but we cannot expect people to shift away from animal product consumption without making viable alternatives availaible—meeting people’s needs is an integral part of bettering the environment and our relationship with its creatures..