It seems as though the world continues to radically change in between my blogs. Just a few weeks ago it would have been difficult to imagine (at least for me) the conversations we’re having now about plant closures and euthanizing livestock and poultry that can’t be processed in a timely manner. It is a tough time for the meat and poultry industries, along with all of the animal agriculture community. I’ve never been prouder to work on your behalf to bridge the communication gap between farm and fork.

In this time, the way we communicate is as important as ever in order to explain that farmers and ranchers — and the animal agriculture community as a whole — are doing the best they can as they face unprecedented challenges such as processing plant closures or capacity reductions and drastically decreased foodservice demand. We need to help consumers understand that humanely euthanizing livestock and poultry is the absolute last resort after other measures are taken, such as finding alternative markets, changing feed to slow growth or getting creative to find extra space. Farmers and companies are exhausting all other avenues before turning to humane euthanasia, but unfortunately keeping animals on farms indefinitely is not an option as they will continue to grow and overcrowding will lead to animal welfare issues.

This is a delicate topic, and I’d like to offer a few suggestions for the way we communicate about it. First, transparency is key. We need to be upfront about the situations we are having and choices that have to be made. I believe the animal agriculture community has done an excellent job of this and that has helped build trust and understanding.

Second, words matter. Avoid terms like “kill” or “destroy” in favor of correct terminology that is more appropriate for a consumer audience such as “depopulate” or “euthanize” (the word being used in the vast majority of media coverage). This goes for any internal communications as well; everything you communicate on this situation should be treated as public.

Third, choose carefully what and when to communicate. Are shocking photos of euthanized livestock necessary to share to tell this story? Or are they more likely to be taken out of context and used by activist groups?

It is shameful that activist organizations would try to take advantage of these terrible circumstances to promote their own agenda. Animal rights activist organizations will never miss an opportunity to kick animal agriculture when it is down. We’re seeing groups trying to connect the current pandemic to animal agriculture, taking advantage of labor shortages to attempt to get hired “undercover” on farms and in plants and attacking farmers on social media.

The Alliance encourages all farms and plants to be on high alert for activist groups trying to find ways to benefit from the current situation. Careful hiring procedures, a process for verifying the identity of any visitors and other security measures (gates, locks, lighting) should be implemented and constantly followed. Farmers and ranchers have enough to worry about as they deal with the emotional and potentially financial fallout of having to euthanize animals they have dedicated their lives to caring for.

If the Alliance can support you in any way during these uncertain times, don’t hesitate to reach out. As always, we are rooting for you.

Communication considerations for the current climate

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