Donald Hassig of Colton, who will seek the Green Party nomination once again to run for Congress, says he would work to ban factory farms if elected.

Hassig said the Farm Bill signed by President Obama last week “contains an important provision for the protection of animals” that makes attending or bringing a child under 16 to an animal fighting event a federal crime. “Dog fighting and cock fighting are barbaric activities that should not exist in our society.”

But the 2012 Green Party candidate for the North Country congressional seat, won by Democrat Bill Owens of Plattsburgh, said that “pigs, cattle, chickens and turkeys are not receiving the protections that they need. Factory farming makes the lives of these animals little more than empty suffering. On the family farms of an earlier day animals experienced some considerable amount of freedom and socialized with each other in quite natural ways.”

He made particular note of dairy cattle.

“The use of bovine growth hormone on dairy cows has caused much misery in the form of grossly overfilled udders and incessant machine milking,” he said.

“When I am a member of Congress, I will sponsor legislation that prohibits factory farming. The animals that are used for food deserve to live relatively natural lives. This is only fair. The confinement and over exploitation of factory farming must end.”

He also said he would “endeavor to eliminate all animal fighting activities.”

Hassig, a longtime environmental and free-speech activist, finished well back in third place behinds Owens and Republican Matt Doheny in the 2012 election for what is now New York’s 21st District seat in Congress.