It's past time to return fire

The old conventional wisdom said, “Ignore fringe groups. Their claims are so outlandish, they’ll fall of their own accord.”

For years most executives in the meat and poultry industry heeded that directive and buried their collective heads in the sand, ignoring the usually shrill and ridiculous attacks by groups like PETA and Farm Sanctuary.

Of course, if you’re head is buried in the sand, it leaves your backside high, dry and painfully exposed. It’s an temptingly easy target that fringe groups take delight in attacking with repeated swift kicks.

Continuing to ignore those assaults reminds me of that masochistic old military line, “Thank you sir, may I have another?”

Well, times have changed and the conventional wisdom must be tossed out with extreme prejudice. It’s never been easier for even the most radical fringe groups to spew forth their most bizarre beliefs. And they’ve become so sophisticated at disguising their messages as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth that they can quickly gain the credibility they don’t deserve.

Here’s today’s reality: If an organization issues a statement that you’re a misogynistic, animal abusive monster and repeats it 200 times without a rebuttal from you – you become that monster.

It’s time to return fire. If you or your business is unfairly attacked, immediately retaliate with the truth. Once exposed as preposterous, your attacker will probably go elsewhere. Left alone, he will continue to attack until he wins the war.

So what brought on this diatribe? This recent press release headlined “Farm Sanctuary Releases Report Assessing Farm Animal Welfare Standards in U.S.; Report Released as Government, Agribusiness, Food Retailers, Others Hold Meetings to Develop and Promote 'Humane' Standards”

The first paragraph claims it’s a “thoroughly researched independent report” that’s “being released in conjunction with the USDA's Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposium in Washington, D.C.”

Wow (insert dripping sarcasm here)! It must be the truth. After all, it’s an independent report launched in conjunction with an important USDA Symposium. I wonder how closely they worked with the USDA to create this epistle?

Here's the real truth: It isn’t an independent survey. It was bought and paid for by Farm Sanctuary and it is cleverly worded to reflect their prejudices.

More truth: The report has no relationship with the USDA Symposium; it’s just a cleverly borrowed tie-in. “Released in conjunction” means it was released at the same time. Nothing more.

And the most painful truth: This ersatz study will be picked up by a lot of news resources and presented as the sad truth about an industry that doesn’t care enough to respond.

If you see this nonsense presented in your local newspaper or a magazine, you MUST respond. Write a letter clarifying the issue. Follow up with a phone call to the editor. If you don’t know the right name and address, call me or send an email. My email address is crjolley@msn.com. I’ll track down the information for you.

Just so you know what to look for, here’s the release -

Contact: Tricia Ritterbusch of Farm Sanctuary, 607-583-2225 ext. 233, tritterbusch@farmsanctuary.org

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., Sept. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, today released "Farm Animal Welfare: An Assessment of Product Labeling Claims, Industry Quality Assurance Guidelines and Third-Party Certification Programs." The first of its kind, this thoroughly researched independent report reviews the current state of farm animal welfare standards in the United States. This report is being released in conjunction with the USDA's Future Trends in Animal Agriculture Symposium in Washington, D.C. which is addressing the current status of farm animal welfare.

In the past five years, more than one dozen farm animal quality assurance schemes have been developed. These include animal industry programs, retail food auditing programs, and third-party organic and humane food certification programs. In addition, developments of government-regulated food labeling and marketing claims relevant to animal welfare are underway.

"The lack of federal and state laws that prevent abusive farming practices has allowed cruel industrialized farms to propagate," said Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary. "In an attempt to thwart passage of basic humane legislation, agribusiness has produced voluntary quality assurance programs, which erroneously claim to promote animal welfare. These industry schemes are intended to help maintain the status quo, and allow institutionalized animal cruelty to continue."

Factory farms commonly warehouse hundreds or thousands of animals indoors, often in small pens or cages, or outdoors in barren lots. Grazing in open pasture and outdoor access is now the exception rather than the rule. Today, more than 90 percent of egg-laying hens in the U.S. are confined for their entire lives to cages so small the birds can't spread their wings. More than two-thirds of sows in the U.S. are confined for most of their lives to crates that prevent them from even turning around. Dairy cows may be tied indoors inside cement-floored stalls or confined outdoors to barren dirt lots with limited or no access to shade and shelter. Cattle are fattened up in feedlots, virtual cattle cities where up to 100,000 animals are crowded into pens, breathing in noxious fumes and standing or lying in waste. And slaughterhouses have cut costs by increasing production rates, killing at lightning speed up to 400 cows, 1,100 pigs, and 12,000 chickens every hour.

Key Findings in this report include:

Animal industry quality assurance guidelines are inadequate; they codify inhumane farming systems, fail to prevent suffering and distress, and do not allow for the expression of normal animal behavior.

Food labeling and marketing claims, like "grass fed" and "cage free," are generally subjective and not verified. The regulations of the National Organic Program are vague, non- specific as to species, and inconsistently applied.

Organic egg and dairy producers have been allowed to use loopholes to deprive animals of the opportunity to graze and forage in a natural setting.

Various humane certification and labeling programs have been developed in response to growing popular concerns about the cruel treatment of farm animals, but their impact at improving animal welfare has been minimal. While some humane certification standards may disallow certain cruel practices, significant deficiencies exist in these as well.

Specialty markets, like organic and "humane" foods, may help lessen animal suffering, but they affect only a very small percent, about 2 percent, of the billions of animals exploited for food each year in the U.S, and even animal derived foods produced according to a "humane" program may not meet consumer expectations.

Bauston added, "We have an ethical obligation to treat all animals, including those raised for food, with respect. This research report cuts through the hype of industry quality assurance programs and assesses what these programs really offer animals. Unfortunately, agribusiness' has failed to provide cows, pigs, chickens and other animals with basic humane consideration."

Industry quality assurance and audit programs assessed in this report include: American Meat Institute, American Sheep Industry Association, American Veal Association, Food Marketing Institute- National Council of Chain Restaurants, Milk and Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Center, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers (Animal Care Certified Program). In addition, the following third-party certification programs are assessed: American Humane Association (Free Farmed Program), Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Farm Animal Care (Certified Humane Program) and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (National Organic Program). Product labeling and market claims programs from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service for livestock, meat, poultry and eggs are assessed are also covered in this report.

A 20-page summary booklet, The Facts About Farm Animal Welfare Standards as well as the full 105-page research report Farm Animal Welfare: An Assessment of Product Labeling Claims, Industry Quality Assurance Guidelines and Third-Party Certification Programs is available to the media by contacting media@farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225 ext. 233. The summary booklet and report is made available to the public by contacting info@farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225. Additional information can be found at http://www.factoryfarming.com.
About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, NY and Orland, CA provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.