Agricultural News
Animal Ag Alliance Provides Tools to Fight Back Against 'Meatless Mondays' and Activists
Mon, 04 May 2015 12:27:41 CDT
Kay Johnson Smith serves as President and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. This group is dedicated to providing resources for agriculture to fight back against anti-agriculture groups and campaigns like "Meatless Mondays". Johnson Smith said activists are using the proposed dietary guidelines proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services as a way to promote their "Meatless Mondays" campaign.
"The Alliance has recently updated our materials that provide sort of the counter voice to why protein is important and why meat is important in diets as well debunking some of the myths that are projected by the 'Meatless Mondays' campaign," Johnson Smith said. "So we hope to have those pieces out and available to the public and available as a resource to farmers and ranchers and stakeholders within the next month."
Activist campaigns are targeting retailers and restaurants, along with the investors in these companies. Johnson Smith said the Alliance has reached out to a number of companies that have been identified as businesses that have been targeted by international activist groups as well as groups like the Humane Society of the United States, Humane League, Mercy for Animals, PETA among others. Johnson Smith said these activist groups are contacting investors in trying to create doubt about whether these companies are good business investments because of their animal welfare policies.
"It's sort of a back door way to push them to do more and to make more extreme polices for their suppliers," Johnson Smith said.
This is unnerving as a company's brand is their reputation and anything targeting their brand is very scary. Johnson Smith said because investors feel pressure from these activist groups and how these efforts could potentially impact their stocks. She said the role of the Alliance is to let companies know there are resources and contacts available that are much more informed on farm animal care than activist or extremist groups.
The 14th Annual Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance will be held May 6th and 7th in Kansas City.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays featured Johnson Smith on the Beef Buzz feature. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to today's Beef Buzz. The 14th Annual Stakeholders Summit of the Animal Agriculture Alliance will be held May 6th and 7th in Kansas City. Hays will be providing coverage of this week's Summit.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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