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Prop 2 Passed Now
What?
Those in agriculture
need to continue telling the positive stories of agriculture and
gain consumer's support
By Kindra Gordon |
During the November elections
while most headlines were devoted to the Obama-McCain
competition, another important vote affecting the future of
agriculture was also being cast – it was the California ballot
initiative relating to Standards for Confining Farm Animals,
commonly referred to as Proposition 2.
While many scientific arguments were made by the agricultural
and veterinarian community as to why Prop 2 was not a good idea,
the urban public ignored the science and passed the initiative
with more than 60% of the vote.
For many in agriculture – in California and across the country –
it was a disheartening outcome. Set to take effect in 2015, it
is believed the passage of Proposition 2 will effectively close
down the California egg industry, and force it out-of-state, and
will affect the swine and veal industries as well. Worse yet,
some contend that these are first steps toward other constraints
to the livestock industry – including the beef and dairy
sectors.
Don’t Throw in the Towel
Despite the defeat for production agriculture in California,
many in agriculture agree that rather than throw in the towel
and let animal welfare activists win, this should be a time when
agriculture bands together to speak up and better tell the
industry’s positive stories.
Bottomline: The livestock industry needs to get proactive. We
talk about listening to consumers; we talk about telling our
story; we talk about doing a better job in selling who we are.
Now we need to stop talking about it and speak up.
As the animal welfare issue continues to be a central focus
among consumers – and the news media – Temple Grandin says
livestock operators need to become better at being committed to
animal welfare practices and communicating them to the public.
Grandin presently is on the faculty at Colorado State
University, and also has served as a consultant to numerous food
industry organizations for her expertise on animal handling.
Grandin says bluntly, “Our industry has done a lousy job of
communicating with consumers…We need to be better at showing
what livestock producers do and that we are family farms that
care about our animals.”
Grandin especially emphasizes that pictures speak louder than
words – especially with consumers who tend to react more to
emotion than science.
This can work in agriculture’s favor by featuring animal care
and families who operate a ranch and obtain their livelihood
from the ranch, or against it – an example being the video
footage showing animal abuse that made headlines last year.
To that end, Grandin says, “Every livestock manager has to look
at what we do and think ‘how will this play on YouTube. We’ve
got to make sure we aren’t abusing animals.”
Grandin believes YouTube can be a powerful tool for ag in the
future, but says right now it isn’t being utilized to tell
positive stories.
For instance, she encourages livestock producers to search the
video clips on YouTube using words like ranching and beef
industry to see what comes up – often it is ranches for sale or
misinformed footage about the industry.
Thus, Grandin says producers need to become more proactive about
posting their own video clips and information on YouTube.
Grandin says many ranchers already do a great job with animal
welfare practices and they need to make 2 to 3 minute videos
giving a ranch tour to share how they care for their land and
livestock.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance has already taken a step in that
direction by posting several pieces of short footage on YouTube
to help educate others about agriculture. One clip in particular
aims to help spread the word about farmers and ranchers
commitment to their animals, their land and their community.
The short video points out that over 90% of America’s farms and
ranches are family-owned and aims to help the public –
especially youth and young adults – to better understand
American farmers’ and ranchers’ commitment to people, animals
and the environment.
More Efforts Underway
Likewise, the Beef Checkoff has plans to launch a video-based
campaign to show U.S. consumers how their beef is produced – and
better gain consumer trust. The campaign will include videos
talking about day-to-day operations of beef producers –
essentially giving consumers a chance to look behind the
curtain, see how cattle are raised and fed, and how beef is
basically grown in this country.
The focus will also be in telling consumers about what the beef
industry is doing to make the beef supply safe, how cattle
producers protect and create great habitats for wildlife, and
the environment overall.
Additionally, this past summer the American Farm Bureau also
took a step toward addressing consumer concerns about the care
provided to farm animals in the production of meat, milk and
eggs, with their initiative called Conversations on Animal Care.
The initiative is designed to put the faces of farmers and
ranchers on America’s livestock care issues as they demonstrate
that the animals they care for produce safe, healthy food for
Americans, according to AFBF Public Relations Director Don
Lipton.
A major component of the Conversations on Animal Care initiative
is a training program that teaches producers to share their
stories effectively, help them find an audience and amplify
their message of dedicated care of livestock. During two days of
training, participants hone skills in sharing their personal
stories with local audiences, the media and in one-on-one
opportunities. They also learn of the important role on-line
tools play in communicating to consumers.
AFBF was prompted to launch their animal care initiative based
on a national survey conducted online in January 2008, in which
3,500 likely voters were asked if they agreed or disagreed with
the following statement: “Farmers and ranchers in your state
treat their animals humanely.”
A majority of voters, 57%, said they agreed or strongly agreed
with the statement. However, 34% of those surveyed responded
“not sure.”
“While a majority of consumers who participated in the research
believe farmers are doing a good job, one-third of those
surveyed didn’t have enough information to even have an
opinion,” Lipton said.
Survey participants were then exposed to a series of educational
statements and messages about food-animal production. At the
conclusion of the survey, participants again were asked if they
agreed or disagreed that farmers and ranchers in their state
treat animals humanly. This time, 72% agreed or strongly agreed
– a jump of 15 points.
“This tells us that, when presented with basic information about
the practical and ethical standards farmers and ranchers
maintain, consumers respond positively,” Lipton said. “The
Conversations on Animal Care program is intended to give farmers
and ranchers the confidence and tools to do just that.”
Visit www.conversationsoncare.com to find out more information
and read spokesperson testimonials.
Everyone Can Help
While these national programs should indeed help educate and
inform consumers about agriculture, there is still a need for
each and every person in agriculture to speak up.
Research continues to show that farmers and ranchers, along with
veterinarians are among the most credible spokespeople on animal
care issues.
You might start by simply talking with your relatives who live
in urban centers and better educating them, or include a quip in
your annual Christmas card about your beef safety practices and
commitment to beef quality and the environment. Go talk to your
son or daughters grade school class – take pictures and show
them what you do and how you ensure their food is safe; host
tours for community groups – explain why farmers and ranchers
are vital to the community to help preserve open space,
wildlife, clean water – and most of all to produce safe food.
The bottom line is that this issue is just in its infancy. The
question “Where does our food come from?” – isn’t going to go
away. Thus, it is a topic that livestock producers must be
proactive, persistent, and confident in addressing. Fortunately,
our industry has many positive points to make – we just need to
speak up.
The Alliance’s YouTube Video can be seen on its website at
www.animalagalliance.org. Grandin has also posted animal
handling videos on YouTube. For more about her work or to view
her video collection visit www.grandin.com.
Side Bar
Science Still Needed
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) released a
statement after Proposition 2 passed saying implementation of
the proposition should include the advice of veterinarians and
animal welfare scientists.
“Now that the ballot initiative has passed, veterinarians and
animal welfare scientists must be involved in its implementation
to make sure that resulting changes in animal housing actually
improve conditions for the animals they are intended to help. If
we’re not careful, animal health and welfare problems could be
precipitated that are as significant as the concerns Proposition
2 aspires to address,” Ron DeHaven, AVMA chief executive officer
(CEO), said.
Close to $16 million was spent by those promoting their views on
Proposition 2 in California, according to AVMA, which sets new
standards for livestock housing in that state. DeHaven points
out that the same investment could have gone a long way toward
improving conditions for livestock across the country if it had
been used to help develop science-based and practical solutions
to animal welfare problems.
“We agree that more attention needs to be paid to the behavioral
well being of production animals. In doing so, we don’t want to
be singularly focused on just providing additional space, as is
the case with Prop 2. For example, moving laying hens to
free-range production systems may allow them to engage in more
species-typical behaviors, but it also increases the hens’ risks
of illness and injury because it increases their exposure to
disease vectors and predators,” said Gail Golab, head of the
AVMA’s Animal Welfare Division in the statement to the press.
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