Commentary.

I’m breaking a cardinal rule of journalism as I write this, namely, when angry or upset with a situation, take a few minutes to calm down before you start banging on a keyboard.  But in this case, I can’t.  I just watched the Mercy for Animals (MFA)undercover video allegedly filmed at an Ohio dairy. The images therein are horrific.

Several thoughts are ricocheting around in my head. The first is that all of animal agriculture must loudly and publicly condemn this episode. Such barbarity cannot be tolerated and to remain silent is akin to abetting the wonton cruelty shown in the video. The second thought is this: How long did MFA wait before acting on this video? Reports are MFA “documented” this horror for a month before releasing the video. Then the political side of my brain automatically goes to the guarantee the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) will try and exploit this to its own political ends, and lastly, my sheer frustration such video will be used to paint all farmers and ranchers as villains and worse.

While I’m a big believer in innocent until proven guilty — experience tells us the video must first be authenticated — if the alleged perpetrator of the acts portrayed in the video is found guilty by a court of law, then the full force of the law must be brought to bear. But I’m also infuriated by the actions or inaction of the animal rights movement, starting with HSUS and its Hallmark video, to this latest example. How can any group which calls itself “humane” sit on any evidence of cruelty for a month, or in the case of HSUS, nearly 90 days, allowing the mistreatment continue? Is the publicity and political value of such video more important than the alleged suffering of the animals? Apparently. But why isn’t isn’t the failure to act considered complicity? Where at least is the moral obligation to act immediately? Why are regulators and law enforcement timid in pursuing this?

HSUS is exploiting this video, saying the situation depicted is due to the “anemic state of Ohio’s anti-cruelty laws,” and then automatically pitches its statewide ballot initiative to try and blunt the success of the Ohio Livestock Standards Board. This is typical and sad.

But ultimately, the responsibility is ours, and by “ours” I mean everyone even remotely involved in animal agriculture. We have the same moral obligation to report abuse, neglect or illegal actions. We cannot and must not tolerate bad actors, and that includes taking every action at our disposal to intervene, including notifying authorities when all else fails. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman said it best: “Farmers and ranchers know it is their responsibility to do everything in their power to prevent abuse…and as member of the ag community, they know they are responsible to stop any such actions when brought to their attention — including alerting appropriate law enforcement officials.”

Every producer, processor and transporter, no matter how large or small, must ensure that every breathing human working with live animals understands the moral, ethical, legal and economic obligations inherent in such work. Hiring temporary or day labor is no excuse. If they work for you, they must be trained in proper animal handling and treatment. No exceptions, no excuses. And if you don’t fulfill this responsibility, then you can be accused of being at least morally as guilty as the person who commits the abuse.

The episodes in the MFA video are in no way representative of anything I know in animal ag, and I question the sanity of anyone who believes differently. And for any animal rights group to claim such cruelty is routine would be akin to me saying anyone who’s a member of any animal rights, protection or welfare group is some kind of bomb throwing, fire-setting extremist simply because a precious few activists have chosen to embrace those tactics.

I am asked repeatedly at speeches and presenations, “What do we do about the bad actors?” It’s simple. If you know they’re bad actors, then intervene, individually or get your organization involved. If the bad actor won’t listen, make sure they understand the legal consequences of their deafness.

Again, Stallman said it best: “People who abuse farm animals don’t deserve a spot in the ag community.”