Although there is only one slaughterhouse still left in Denver, this election cycle is bringing a ballot measure to ban it. While the presidential election is all anyone can talk about, the Denver ballot has other items, including ballot measure 309, which would ban the Superior Farms lamb processing plant in Globeville. 

Currently, the plant processes about 1,500 lambs a day, which is about 20% of all lamb processing capacity in the U.S. 

Animal rights activists from all over the state have been quick to endorse this ballot measure. They have raised more than $244,000 for the cause, saying that “slaughterhouses are inhumane to workers, animals, and the surrounding communities they pollute.”  

On the other side, opponents argue that the plant employs 160 people and that it is unfair to target a single business. The opposition has raised $1.6 million for the “Stop the Ban” campaign project.  

One opponent of the measure stated, “Banning one Denver business won’t improve animal welfare or the environment, but it will have devastating consequences for the economy and people who work at Denver’s only slaughterhouse.” 

On Oct. 9,  a video leaked showing animals being illegally mistreated at the slaughterhouse, causing controversy for the “Stop the Ban” campaign. The video, leaked by anonymous animal rights activists, depicts animals with broken legs being dragged, employees kicking and hitting animals with paddles and injured animals not receiving treatment. 

The staff attorneys representing the animal rights activists, Chris Carraway and Justin Marceau from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, claim that the footage of the animal abuse was, in fact, criminal. 

Superior Farms has not denied the footage was filmed at their plant but has released a statement asserting that the behavior depicted is not illegal behavior. They claimed that it reflects a misunderstanding about how slaughterhouses work, and is an excuse to target their workers. 
While no polls have been taken for this specific election, a poll of 1,500 people from 2021 shows that there could be mass support for the ban. 49% of respondents said they were for a slaughterhouse ban, and 53% of people said they were for a factory farming ban.