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Organizations want to drive wedge between livestock producers and consumers

Tyler Harris, Editor

March 24, 2014

3 Min Read

I don't think Nebraska farmers and ranchers fully appreciate the threat to their way of life by the growing animal rights industry in this country. The list of organizations opposing modern farming practices, and livestock production specifically, continues to grow and their message is gaining momentum and influence with consumers. They will affect how you farm and raise livestock.

That's not to take anything away from the dedicated farm men and women who stand up and tell the story about their care for animals and the soil and their efforts to help produce food for the hungry in this country and abroad. But more must be done to counter the anti-ag attacks.

One organization monitoring the activists is the Animal Agriculture Alliance. Its president and CEO is Kay Johnson Smith, who I heard speak recently at the Governor's Ag Conference in Kearney. AAA monitors the strategies she says activist groups use to drive a wedge between you and the consumer. AAA tries to connect the entire industry, from producers and agribusiness, to better inform consumers and policy makers. Another role, she said, is to provide input to USDA.

Smith said there are no fewer than 400 animal rights organizations operating in this country, at the local state and national levels. Most of them depend on scare tactics and misinformation to consumers about modern livestock practices.

The core of most of these organizations, she said, is an anti-livestock, anti-modern farming agenda. She cited a leader of the Humane Society of the United States who said that ending meat animal production is his ultimate goal. Another leader in the anti-meat movement, according to Smith, said he "dreams of a vegetarian world."

She said they're satisfied with an incremental approach. "They want to drive down the demand for meat products by raising your costs of production and the price at the retail counter."

For the most part, the groups don't act independently. She described an orchestrated approach wherein they work together on their goals. PETA does crude and crazy stunts, but Smith said that is part of a strategy to make HSUS look reasonable and professional. "Individuals also move from organization to organization," she said.

And don't forget how well-oiled they are. "It's big business. The combined annual income of the top organizations in the U.S. with an animal rights agenda exceeds $400 million."

You see photos of sad puppies and kittens in their fundraising efforts, Smith said, but much of the money funds public relations, political or smear campaigns, lobbying, fundraising, and employee salaries. Less than 1% is spent on direct animal care, she added.

Smith laid out the key targets of the animal rights activists--retailers and restaurants, students (elementary through college), and health-conscious consumers. "Meatless Monday" is an example of the latter.

In the restaurant front, Smith cited Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, which spread messages critical of modern farming practices.

There are even efforts to give animals rights equal to those of humans, she said.

 "We not only want to protect your way of life but consumer choice as well," she said.

Farmers and the ag industry, she recommended, need to be proactive and develop formal animal welfare plans. "Talk to your employees and family members about how to respond to animal activists. Be transparent and talk about your values."

About the Author(s)

Tyler Harris

Editor, Wallaces Farmer

Tyler Harris is the editor for Wallaces Farmer. He started at Farm Progress as a field editor, covering Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. Before joining Farm Progress, Tyler got his feet wet covering agriculture and rural issues while attending the University of Iowa, taking any chance he could to get outside the city limits and get on to the farm. This included working for Kalona News, south of Iowa City in the town of Kalona, followed by an internship at Wallaces Farmer in Des Moines after graduation.

Coming from a farm family in southwest Iowa, Tyler is largely interested in how issues impact people at the producer level. True to the reason he started reporting, he loves getting out of town and meeting with producers on the farm, which also gives him a firsthand look at how agriculture and urban interact.

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