Statement on Recent HSUS Video

May 10, 2012 - Ensuring proper animal well-being is the top priority of farmers and ranchers across all sectors of animal agriculture. Managers at the Wyoming pig farm targeted this week with an "undercover" video by animal rights extremist group the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have begun an internal investigation to ensure that all employees follow proper animal care policies.

Today's farm practices are implemented with animal care, environmental stewardship, and food safety in mind. The PQA Plus program was launched in 2007 to help pork producers measure, track and continuously improve animal well-being. Farm owners and employees who participate in the program are able to showcase their commitment to social responsibility while ensuring that U.S. pork products continue to be of the highest quality.

The Alliance has long condemned the abuse and mistreatment of animals raised for food and works to promote animal care guidelines on all farms across the United States. We believe the severest penalties allowed by law should be imposed on all parties found to be involved in animal abuse, as well as those who failed to stop and report these actions immediately to the proper authorities.

Read analysis of the video from animal well-being experts on the Animal Care Review Panel here.

This extreme vegan organization used the footage to deceptively link Tyson Foods to animal mistreatment in an attempt to pressure the food company to reject animal care practices that are supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Read Tyson's official response:

"Contrary to the impression left by HSUS, there is no connection between this Wyoming farm and the pork that we process. Tyson Foods does not buy any of the hogs raised on this farm for our pork processing plants."

Organizations such as HSUS use a variety of tactics to intimidate farmers, processors, retailers, and the public. To be clear: the ultimate objective of these groups is not to improve animal well-being but to promote their animal rights and vegan agenda while running farmers and ranchers out of business with legislation and bad press.

If you would like to learn more about how today's pork producers use tradition and technology to care for their animals, visit the Animal Agriculture Alliance's Youtube channel to watch a collection of videos, including farm tours and interviews with the people who help put food on your table. For more information about farmers' and ranchers' commitment to animal care and to learn more about the real motives of animal rights extremist organizations, visit www.animalagalliance.org.

About the Alliance:

The Animal Agriculture Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a broad-based coalition of individual farmers and ranchers, producer organizations, veterinarians, scientists, suppliers, packer-processors, private industry and retailers. The Alliance's mission is to communicate the important role of animal agriculture to our nation's economy, productivity, vitality, security and that animal well-being is central to producing safe, high-quality, affordable food and other products essential to our daily lives. Find the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.