Since I previously wrote about how Fair Oaks Farms was handing the potential release of “undercover videos” from an activist group, I figured I should circle back now that the videos have been released. Unfortunately, even Fair Oaks’ commitment to transparency has been little match for the aggressive tactics of Animal Recovery Mission. If this type of incident can happen at a farm so well-known for doing the right thing (and showing it to consumers), it could happen to any one of your companies.

To be clear – I (as well as the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the rest of the animal agriculture community) do not condone any mistreatment of animals. Fair Oaks Farms’ response says it well - what's shown in the video is unacceptable and the farm has taken full responsibility.

It's reassuring to know that all but one of the employees shown had been terminated before anyone knew about ARM’s 'investigation' because other employees had already reported their misconduct – this demonstrates that the culture at Fair Oaks Farms includes commitment to animal care.

This situation serves as a reminder to all about the importance of careful hiring and employee management. All operations need to take steps to ensure that all employees are committed to providing the level of care to your livestock that you expect. This includes having animal care policy statements that employees must review and sign, ongoing training programs, and ways for employees to report anything they witness that they find concerning.

It’s also important to keep in mind the mission and intentions of ARM. They are an animal rights activist group who wants to damage the industry, not promote animal welfare. They've had this footage for months and never reported any concerns to the farm. This is not the first and unfortunately will probably not be the last time that they target the dairy industry with a carefully planned campaign.

While our first piece of advice is always ensuring that your animal care practices are beyond reproach, we also advise farmers, ranchers, plant managers and everyone else involved in handling livestock to be very vigilant in your hiring processes to ensure that everyone hired is there for the right reason – to provide care to livestock – and does not have any ulterior motives that would distract from that. Always verify the identity of applicants, check references and keep an eye out for any red flags. You can contact the Alliance at any time for advice on farm security and hiring.

When farms or companies are targeted with these types of campaigns, I urge you to remember that what hurts one entity’s reputation ultimately hurts all of agriculture and the food industry. Don’t add fuel to the fire by sharing videos or adding commentary to the situation – focus instead on amplifying the company’s response and sharing positive information about your industry and business. Your company could be targeted next.

Think of what support you’d want to receive from the rest of the industry.

Fair Oaks under fire: it could happen to any of us

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