The end of 2020 is (finally) drawing near. In some ways it feels like this year has crawled by with many of our favorite traditions either canceled or taking quite a different shape. At the same time it feels like it’s flown by as we’ve all been rushing to keep up with all of the challenges and changes.

As we look back on 2020, I’ve gotten several questions about activism as many in the meat industry have not had the time or bandwidth to keep an eye on what activist groups are up to. Some are asking if activists sat out this year with everything going on. Unfortunately, that was definitely not the case. Here in my penultimate post of the year I’d like to take a minute to look back on some of the biggest trends and stories in activism.

Attempts to tie COVID-19 to animal agriculture and meat consumption: Animal rights activist groups will never let a crisis go to waste, and they certainly did not let the pandemic go by without attempting to take advantage of it. Groups have referred to it as a “tipping point” and a major opportunity to spread negative messaging about animal agriculture, such as claiming that large-scale production is somehow linked to the current pandemic and will cause future public health issues. Activists have also latched on to stories about COVID-19 outbreaks among workers in meat processing plants, urging people to “boycott meat” both for the benefit of animals and plant workers. Unfortunately, the narrative that we need to cut back on our meat consumption and overhaul animal agriculture for the sake of public health is not going away anytime soon and is something we will need to contend with.
Continued protests despite stay-at-home orders, including at private residences: Restrictions on gatherings and travel have not stopped activists from holding protests this year, including a 48-hour vigil at a plant that culminated in several activists entering the facility and chaining themselves to equipment. In another troubling development, animal rights activists have begun holding protests outside the homes of company and organization executives, a trend we have not seen used against animal agriculture in recent years. While some states and cities have laws against residential protests, others do not. Activists see targeting company leaders (and their families) in their private homes as a key way to ramp up the pressure in their campaigns, so we should all prepare for this tactic to continue.
Activist struck and killed while protesting outside of plant in Canada: In probably the biggest activism-related story of the year, an animal rights activist was struck by a truck and killed while protesting outside of a plant in Canada. This incident set off a wave of activism in her honor while also generating discussion of the need to balance safety with the right to free speech. Plants in particular have been targeted quite a lot this year with vigils and protests, which I believe will continue into the future as activist groups want to position “big meat” and major corporations as the “enemy,” rather than farmers and ranchers who might be seen more sympathetically.

The Alliance is glad to be here to keep an eye on activist trends, allowing you and your company to stay focused on your business and keeping the supply chain flowing.

Biggest activist stories of 2020

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