Cyndi's Two Cents

Anti groups score big in January

Anti-animal agriculture and anti-GMO groups have had several wins thus far in 2014. Sadly, we’re not even through the first of the 12 months of the year.

In early January, General Mills released non-GMO original Cheerios. Late last week, GMO Inside, a national consumer campaign of Green America that educates consumers about GMOs, reported that Post Foods has released a non-GMO verified Grape Nuts that is on store shelves.

Both food companies said the release of non-GMO products is a direct result of listening to their customers. Their customers are the ones who consume the products. If their customers want it and are willing to pay for it, good for General Mills and Post. I think it is wonderful to live in a world where we have choices when we go to the grocery store. I am of the personal opinion (after educating myself on GMOs) that the only way a cereal made from a GMO grain is going to hurt me is if I choke on it.

Anti-animal agriculture behemoth group Humane Society of the United States has claimed several victories this month. After more than a decade of campaigning (or harassing, depending upon your interpretation) HSUS is rapidly gaining ground in its effort to tell farmers how their livestock should be housed and cared for.

Smithfield Foods, the now wholly-owned subsidiary of China-based Shuanghui International, announced January 7 that its hog production subsidiary Murphy-Brown has requested the 2,040 contract sow growers in its system convert their facilities from gestation stalls to group housing systems for pregnant sows. Murphy Brown owns the hogs but these independent hog farmers own their own buildings. The company says it will offer incentives to its growers to complete the conversions by 2022 and that growers who commit to convert to group housing will receive contract extensions upon completion of the conversion. If an independent grower decides against retrofitting his or her facilities to meet the standards set by the company, it is unlikely their contract will be renewed.

Earlier this month, Tyson Foods sent a letter to its farmer suppliers about new steps to be taken in their “ongoing animal well-being program” including open housing for sows, third party sow farm audits, the use of video monitoring for farmers to use pain medicine for tail docking and castration of piglets.

Both of these food companies have said time and again that they are not “caving” to the likes of HSUS, but responding to requests from customers. It is important for you to understand that their customers aren’t the actual consumers of these products. Their customers include more than 60 of the world’s largest food retailers, including Burger King, Safeway, Costco, Oscar Mayer and McDonald’s. HSUS has long pressured food retailers to demand gestation stall-free pork from their suppliers.

HSUS doesn’t seem to care that most livestock farmers strive for sustainability and stewardship of the land, air, water, livestock, and people involved in their farm. They don’t care that the meat from livestock you raise is a safe and affordable protein source for consumers, whether those consumers are in a local, regional, national or international location.

They don’t care because they don’t want you to eat meat.