Pork Congress 2012 - Iowa Pork Producers Association

• Makes people feel guilty for using animals as
food, but doesn’t ask them to stop eating meat.
Instead, activist groups ask people to “help stop/
reduce the suffering” by contributing money or giving
political support. “Consumers are told that they
don’t have to change their consumption habits,”
said Jamison, who has studied the animal rights
movement for nearly 20 years. “They just have to
help activist groups help the pigs by donating money
to support the groups’ legislative efforts.”
Activist groups also are using undercover videos of
alleged animal abuse on farms to spur action from their
latest target — grocery retailers. “Animal advocates have
targeted retailers to bring about ‘value chain disruption,’”
Jamison said. “Retailers guard their brands jealously,
and when a potential animal welfare scandal appears
to negatively affect their brand, they will take immediate
action rather than suffer brand diminishment or cede a
competitive advantage to other retailers regarding animal
welfare.”
Taking control of the message
Given all these attacks on animal agriculture, what
can the pork industry do to take control? Jamison said
producers must lead the charge. Farmers must be willing
to demonstrate what they do on the farm, as well as how
and why they do it.
“If we don’t do this, we’re providing the opponents of
animal agriculture with a ready-made opportunity to
show a video of our production or processing practices
and make it look like we’re hiding something. Animal
agriculture must be able to stand up for itself and morally
claim the high ground, saying, ‘What we do is the right
thing to do.’”
us to bring animals from farm to family. We
farmers take that sacred trust very seriously.” In
addition, farmers must re-consecrate the act of
using animals to disarm opponents’ arguments
that animals are a mere commodity. This involves
re-framing the view of animal agriculture around
respect and thankfulness, Jamison said. A
viable message could communicate that, “We
acknowledge the sacrifice that animals make for
us. We treat them with respect and thankfulness
and are grateful that animal agriculture provides
food security.”
Farmers also must be aware of the pitfalls of
brand hypocrisy, which can occur when an
individual, a company or an industry does not live
up to the values it appears to embrace. Consider
Tiger Woods’ fall from grace that marred his brand
of perfection and excellence.
“In pork production, it’s important to walk the talk
of the industry’s We Care program,” Jamison said.
“Just one negative video that demonstrates brand
hypocrisy can lead to a brand crisis that damages
pork producers’ credibility.”
Pork producers also will have to become more
sophisticated with the messages they use to
communicate their story, stressed Jamison, who
noted that the stakes are high. “With a growing
global population and increased demand for food,
there’s no question that pork production will take
place somewhere in the world. The big question
is where this production will occur. Beating the
activists at their own game will provide a key
opportunity for farmers to keep producing pork
here at home.”
When sharing agriculture’s story with the public, Jamison
recommends using messages like, “Consumers trust
March 2012
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