WINNIPEG (Staff) – The hog industry here may be poised on the brink of massive expansion, but that could make it the next big target for animal rights activists.
And this possibility should concern all farmers in the province, says a public relations expert who helped pregnant mare’s urine ranchers through a barrage of activist scrutiny.
Barb Biggar was part of a panel at a conference on animal welfare sponsored by the Manitoba Farm Animal Council. She said all farmers have to start sticking up for each other.
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“If you want to stay quiet, you’re a bigger threat to your industry than the activists,” Biggar said. “Your silence and your apathy gives the victory that activists are looking for.”
She noted that farmers tend to avoid the glare of the spotlight, and would rather mind their own business: “Silence is not golden, it’s like a gangrene.”
But farmers should also examine their operations to ensure they will withstand the public eye.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Biggar said.
Jeff Goodwin, who educates urbanites in Dallas, Tex., about agriculture, quoted comedian Steve Allen to the audience: “Your opponents are never wrong about everything,” he quipped.
“Take that kernel of truth away from them,” Goodwin said, encouraging farmers to constantly examine the way they do things.
Manitoba’s chief veterinarian Allan Preston showed the conference some graphic slides taken by vets of farm animals that were abused or neglected. For example, vets were called into an auction mart to put down a horse that someone was trying to sell.
One hind leg was seriously wounded but had never been treated. It had become infected to the point that the bottom half of the leg looked like a stump.
Preston said most farmers know how to care for their livestock and would never dream of hurting them, but there are always a few “bad actors” who give the industry a black eye.
“Neglect and abuse cannot be tolerated,” Preston said, adding that farmers who know their neighbors could be doing something better should tell a vet or livestock technician.
“It’s always been a problem for livestock producers to blow the whistle on their own kind,” Preston said.
An expert on animal rights activists said it’s crucial for farmers to have their house in order and ensure their neighbors do too.
“It is absolutely your business because it affects your business,” said Alan Herscovici, a writer and consultant from Montreal. He said a hotline set up in Ontario for this purpose is working well.
Herscovici encouraged farmers to make the Manitoba Farm Animal Council the hub of a province-wide network to promote and educate others about the livestock industry.
“It’s not all that expensive when you look at it in the scheme of things,” he said in an interview. “It’s kind of like crop insurance … It’s something that you’ve got to invest in to protect your markets.”
