While minor in the grand scheme of changes and challenges the meat and agriculture communities are facing right now, the Alliance navigated uncharted waters over the past two months as we took our 2020 Stakeholders Summit completely virtual. We knew that holding the Summit as we had been planning for months was not going to be possible and going virtual allowed us to still bring the dynamic speaker lineup we had assembled to an even larger audience (more than 500 people registered). The theme of the event was “Primed and Prepared,” and our goal was to leave our attendees primed and prepared to engage in any and all conversations about the future of animal agriculture — discussions that hold even more importance now.

I’d like to share some of the top quotes and takeaways from the event, which was a resounding success thanks to our energetic and engaging speakers.

Sustainability needs to remain top-of-mind, even as we navigate current challenges. Critics are going to use the issues we’re facing now as yet another reason to claim animal agriculture is unsustainable and we need to push back on that narrative. “You can’t eat your way out of climate change,” said Elanco’s Dr. Sara Place in a Virtual Summit preconference webinar. “As an industry, we’ve done a great job at doing the right thing and trying to tell our story. I don’t think we’ve put a lot of focus on proving it. We have to prove it and be transparent about how we’re proving it,” pointed out Meat Institute’s Eric Mittenthal. We need to correct that by amping up our sustainability efforts. “Put yourself out there. It’s your way of life, it’s your living, it’s your education,” said Dr. Molly McAdams, former HEB executive and current retail adviser.
Communicating about our commitment to animal welfare is more important than ever. We often share we are caring for (husbandry) animals rather than caring about (ethics) animals, said Dr. Candace Croney of Purdue University. We need to show why it matters how we treat animals, outside of production practices and benefits. “When we are talking, are we talking about food or are we talking about animals?” Dr. Croney asked. She also suggested that we “start by sharing your vision and your values.”
Threats to our reputation from animal rights activist groups continue to be a major concern as activist groups attempt to take advantage of the current situation. Farm security experts Brianna Schroeder, attorney at Janzen Ag Law, Jim Rovers of AFIMAC Canada and John Sancenito of INA explained that, “Odds are, if you’re being attacked, you’re not the only one” and “social media allows [activists] to make it seem like their lies are more valid than they are.” The panel recommended implementing farm and plant security guidelines for hiring, visitors, online interactions and other situations. Make it harder for activists to target you by staying informed on activist tactics, working with trusted employees and documenting everything.
We need to look at new and different ways to share our messages. Former Google executive Steve Lerch offered insights for building trust with confused consumers, explaining that “trust is almost as important to consumers as quality and value.” Lerch encouraged the animal agriculture community to get creative in consumer-facing messaging, stating, “no group is so conservative or serious that you can’t experiment with ways to share your message.”

These insights just skim the surface of what was shared at the Virtual Summit that would be of value of anyone in the meat business to consider. Additional content is available to anyone in our highlights report. If you’re intrigued, save the date to join us for the 2021 Stakeholders Summit in Kansas City on May 5-6.

Seen and heard at the 2020 Virtual Summit

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