News

Anti-ag activists step up social media attacks on farmers

The Animal Agriculture Alliance says the COVID-19 restrictions have changed the focus of anti-farming activists’ activities.

Hannah Thompson-Weeman says, “Now, we’re seeing a lot of them turn their efforts online because of the current restrictions on gatherings.”

Thompson-Weeman tells Brownfield producers need to pay close attention to social media sites, where the attacks have stepped up. “Specifically, dairy farmers have been attacked on their social media pages, nasty comments, a flood of messages from a bunch of people, comments on posts going back months, negative reviews, those are just a few examples.”

Thompson-Weeman says the one benefit to more online and less on-farm protesting is less property damage and improved biosecurity and safety for animals and producers.  But she says farmers and ranchers need to watch more than Facebook and Twitter. She says, “Claim your farm’s name on pretty much every social media platform, even if you don’t plan on using it.” She says this prevents others from impersonating the farmer and sending false messages to the consumers on social media.

Thompson-Weeman says activists have also tried to blame animal agriculture for the coronavirus pandemic, which she says is baseless.

The Animal Agriculture Alliance says producers and livestock haulers must still be aware of in-person tactics including animal theft and harassing truck drivers.

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  let em eat rocks and trees for a while.

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  You do realise that “Face Book” won`t let farmers post adverts for livestock for sale, not even eggs. My suspicion is that the (likely veegun) big-city Big Tech outfits stir up hatred of farmers and agriculture so as to distract people from scrutinizing their own highly polluting and morally bankrupt business models. These tech bigwigs won`t let their own children have these addictive electronic gadgets that most of us farmers are thankfully too busy to bother with. A major problem is that media higher-ups have vegans among them- – – I have this on a personal communication from Canada`s major news magazine. This is why that deeply flawed “study”, Livestock`s Long Shadow, got such traction in the public consciousness and in fact is STILL being quoted today.
  Vegans don`t realise that veganism is highly artifical; there have NEVER been any vegans living in the wilderness at any time in our history because it is simply impossible. It is also impossible to be a vegan and eat local foods-only; veganism depends on highly -priced supplements and packaged foods from distant locations. If the trucks and ferries stopped, they`d starve. Veganism is in fact a profoundly anti-Natural World phenomenon and as such I find it deeply depressing; its adherents are divorced from natural realities to an extent never seen before.
  I was a traditional farmer for decades until I lost my lease and my herd. Ten thousand years ago, my own ancestors domesticated the ancestors of my animals. The city people will never understand the depth of the bond we shared.

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