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Farmers must act to preserve animal agriculture
Activists pushing for changes in animal agriculture actually want to end the practice of raising animals for food. That’s the message from Missouri Farm Bureau President Charlie Kruse, and others at the group’s annual convention in Osage Beach, Missouri.
In his address to Farm Bureau members in Missouri Monday, Kruse talked about actions begun in Missouri by the Humane Society of the United States.
“We’ve already seen what they’ve done in states like Florida, Arizona, California and Colorado. They dramatically changed the way [producers in those states] are able to raise livestock and poultry,” said Kruse during his address. “Right now they’re saying their goal is just simply to protect animals, but I know we all know there can be a strong argument made that they’re real goal is to eliminate animal agriculture,” he said.
Betty Wolanyk with Ag Literacy Works says animal rights activists are reaching and influencing people from the time they’re youngsters.
“The fact that so many college students claim to be vegan tells you something’s happening here,” Wolynak told Brownfield prior to speaking to Missouri Farm Bureau members, “and that’s the best way I can tell that [activists] are really being effective.”
Washington, D.C. analyst Steve Kopperud says agriculture interests have to fight even harder against activist-coined terms such as “factory farm” and “puppy mill”.
“The problem we have has almost doubled because we have allowed the activists to define us, we have allowed the activists to tell the public what we do and how we do it and frankly, we’re sitting back and continuing to allow that to happen,” said Kopperud. “Now, Ohio, Michigan, places like that; we’re starting to see farmers and ranchers stand up and say, ‘we’re not going to take this anymore.’” Kopperud refers to laws passed in those states designed to thwart activists’ efforts.
On the other hand, the Humane Society of the United States has filed two initiative petitions with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office seeking to crack down on dog breeders that they refer to as “puppy mills”. Livestock agriculture interests say it’s the opening volley of the HSUS effort to restrict animal agriculture practices in the state.
Kopperud says farmers have to bring their story to major consumer markets. “Your products are bought in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Miami. Those are the people who must hear from you,” said Kopperud. “If they don’t, I can guarantee you they will hear from [HSUS President] Wayne Pacelle, and he will portray you as the worst of the worst.”
Brownfield’s Julie Harker contributed to this article.
Tags: Consumer Issues, Missouri
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The Humane Society is not concerned about people starving to death. If you remove all animal agriculture we do not have enough land to produce all the food needed to feed the world. There influence will lead us down the path of depending on food from other countries just like we are dependent on oil. Can you imagine not having ice cream, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese and yogurt available in your diet.
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I’ve spent most of the last seven years fighting HSUS in the field of pet ownership and breeding. Their goal there is the same as in animal ag, hunting, and use of animals for research: To make money for HSUS by eliminating accepted and essential uses of animals, no matter how humane.
Think of HSUS as a business whose product is UNFARMING. They’re not uninformed and they cannot be reformed. The terrible things they support and do are the reason they exist.
The bottom line is that we cannot succeed or even survive just by doing everything right. We can’t win even if our customers KNOW we are doing it right, because HSUS will get their support for laws to stop that bad ‘other guy,’ and those laws will take us down too. Look at the HSUS ‘no puppy mills’ campaign for the example: all the laws contain size limits that make breeding dogs a part-time activity, regardless of how well you do it. There’s no reason to think the same couldn’t be done for dairy or beef cattle operations and it would make exactly as much sense, that is, none at all.
Our goal has to be the elimination of HSUS as a political force. They have the right to hold and voice their opinions, but they do NOT have a right to have animal loving Americans believe outright lies and send donations. Educate yourself now, and pass on what you learn to your family, suppliers, employees, and friends.
We are in this together. Only by working together to discredit dishonest and anti-animal ‘charities’ will we be able to keep and pass on the treasure of life shared with animals.
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Thank you so much for this information, I’m doing an ffa project on Animal Agriculture vs HSUS & PETA, and there arent many organizations voicing their opinions of the agricultural point of view, even on the top agricultural websites. we really need to get the true facts out there along with these opinions.
The farm community must band together. Too many who are just grain producers do not realize how they will be impacted by the threat to animal agriculture. When 94% of the soybeans we consume in this country are used for animal production I have to ask: What half the soybean producing states do you want to shut down?
Many of those who are corn producers have the misguided idea that ethanol will save their day. However, if the distillers grains can’t be used for animal feed, there won’t be an ethanol industry. Without animals eating the distillers grains the vast amount of by-product will become a hazardous waste.
Grain farmers must be awakened to this threat. The news media is infiltrated by HSUS sympathisers. The entertainment industry with big name recognition and front page exposure have actively been critical of animal agriculture and are financially supporting these antiagriculture groups.
The EPA whose origin was considered a necessary govenment agency back in the 1970’s has now evolved to become a politicaly correct body that will not think twice about the consequences of their actions on the food supply, economy or the dependence they will place on our country for food existence. They have one goal: control and appease their supporters.
We have a tremendous job ahead of us. We have discounted this threat as being so obsurb that we thought it could never happen. Now the dark cloud on the horizon is not dust or a rain storm, it is the EPA.
Farmers have fought the ravages of storms, droughts, weeds and insects for centuries. Our greatest threat today is the pestilence of government. We may not survive if we don’t get active.