Superior Farms is a 70-year-old Denver business that is owned by its workers and provides good wages and benefits for 160 employee-owners and their families. Superior Farms gives back to the community by working with local universities and 4H clubs to support research and education for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. It has also reduced its use of energy, water, diesel fuel and plastics as part of its dedication to the environment.

You are hearing about them now because they are the one and only business being targeted by the Denver slaughterhouse ban. Singling out just one business and forcing it to shut down with a ballot measure is unfair and wrong. 

The community did not ask for this ban. It is being propped up by out-of-state animal liberation activists who have a stated goal of “abolishing the cultural norm of eating [meat] in the United States.” They are running a dishonest dark-money campaign and refuse to disclose their funders. 

Local labor leaders and unions oppose this ban, including the Working Families Party, the Denver Area Labor Federation, Pipefitters 208, Service Employees International Union Local 105, and Denver’s United Food and Commercial Workers Union.  The initiative is also opposed by the Denver Democratic Party.

No. This measure misleads voters by creating the impression employee-owners who lose their jobs will be provided with training and job placement. But there are no guarantees that they will get this kind of help, or any help at all. It is also very unlikely that workers would be able to find comparable pay, benefits, and employee-owner arrangements, making these jobs virtually impossible to replace if this ban forces Superior Farms to close.

No. This measure misleads voters by creating the impression employee-owners who lose their jobs will be compensated. But there are no guarantees that they will get the help they need or any compensation at all. It is also very unlikely that workers would be able to find comparable pay, benefits, and employee-owner arrangements, making these jobs virtually impossible to replace if this ban forces Superior Farms to close.

No, it won’t stop consumers from choosing to eat meat, and the animals that would have been processed in Denver will be transported to distant processors, increasing stress on the animals during the transportation process.

We can’t predict where animals would be sent if Denver’s Superior Farms is forced to close, though we do know shutting down 15-20% of the US’ lamb processing capacity would have devastating consequences for Colorado’s economy and food prices and is likely to result in increased imports from overseas, increasing the environmental impact.

We also know that it does not make sense to target just one local food producer that already treats animals humanely. Denver’s only slaughterhouse produces Halal certified meat, which is based on humane treatment throughout the entire lifecycle of the animal in accordance with Muslim religious traditions. It was also designed in consultation with world-renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin. USDA inspectors are on-site at all times and it is routinely inspected by other independent animal welfare auditors.

This ban is being propped up by out of state animal liberation activists who have a stated goal of “abolishing the cultural norm of eating [meat] in the United States.” They are running a dishonest dark-money campaign and refuse to disclose their funders.

The campaign against the ban is funded by the employee-owners of Superior Farms – Denver’s only slaughterhouse that will be forced to close if the ban passes, worker organizations, and other organizations and community members fully disclosed on campaign finance reports.

Superior Farms is a 70-year-old business that is owned by its workers and provides good wages and benefits for 160 employee-owners and their families. Ban advocates are forcing them to spend their future retirement funds to save their livelihoods from a ballot measure that unfairly singles out their business. 

Denver’s only slaughterhouse is located in a part of the city that is home to many other industrial businesses.

Moving the slaughterhouse would be extremely expensive and cause massive disruptions to both Denver’s economy and the entire Colorado agriculture industry. Moving is not possible because despite misleading ballot language and claims from ban advocates, the slaughterhouse and its workers are not guaranteed any financial compensation if the ban passes.

If this ban passes, the slaughterhouse will be forced to shut down, costing 160 hard-working employee-owners their jobs and healthcare benefits. 

No. The language of this measure does not say anything about what happens to the property and does not provide for affordable housing or measures to address homelessness. In fact, if the ban could fastrack real estate developer-led speculation if passed.

If this passes, the only thing it will do is target a single employee-owned business and force it to shut down, costing 160 hard-working people their jobs and healthcare benefits. 

No. A public records request to the Denver Department of Health and Environment found zero odor complaints against Superior Farms out of more than 400 complaints filed in the past three years.

The neighborhood is home to numerous other businesses such as the rendering facility, Suncor Refinery, and the Nestle Purina pet food plant that – unlike Superior Farms – heat or burn their products, which produce strong odors. Ban advocates are unfairly targeting a single Denver business based on complaints against unrelated businesses and industries. 

Lamb is growing in popularity in both the US and international cuisine, and Colorado Lamb is becoming well-known for its quality and flavor in global culinary circles. The Superior Farms facility in Denver accounts for 15% to 20% of lamb processing capacity in the U.S. and produces Halal certified meat, which is based on humane treatment throughout the entire lifecycle of the animal in accordance with Muslim religious traditions.

This ban is not environmentally sustainable. Many Denverites will continue eating meat even if local production is banned, which means shipping more of Denver’s food supply from further away – increasing carbon emissions and making our food supply chain less sustainable.

Ban advocates have also cited global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, which are heavily driven by emissions from countries with minimal environmental regulations and highly inefficient agriculture industries. It is unfair and wrong to shut down an employee-owned business in Denver because of GHG emissions from agricultural operations in other countries.