The Animal Agriculture Alliance is very disappointed by the New York Times’ decision to spotlight the efforts of extreme animal rights activist organization Direct Action Everywhere (DXE) in an article that ran over the weekend. DXE is in no way a credible source on animal agriculture – in fact, its mission is promoting “total animal liberation.” A lead DXE organizer once stated “We are trying to destroy animal agriculture” while speaking at a major animal rights conference. All of DXE’s actions and claims need to be viewed through the lens of its ultimate goal: taking meat, poultry, milk and eggs off of our plates.
We’re alarmed that the Times would give an organization like DXE a voice within its pages, given DXE’s extensive background of illegal actions that put animal health and food safety at risk. DXE leaders are facing criminal charges in several states for stunts including trespassing on and breaking into farms, stealing animals and holding mass protests. The Times’ role in supporting DXE’s illegal activity and showcasing the efforts of extremists who thrive on harassing people who work every day to produce safe, quality food is appalling.
It’s absurd to suggest that activist groups like DXE are trusted sources of information on important subjects such as antibiotic resistance. America’s farm families have a long-standing commitment to protect the health and safety of our animals, our families, our employees and consumers. Antibiotics are an important tool in ensuring animal health and high standards of animal care. Farmers work closely with veterinarians to use antibiotics responsibly and provide consumers with safe food. There is plenty of information available from FDA, USDA and other sources about how antibiotics are used to keep food animals healthy that can be accessed by theTimes without supporting illegal activity.
Because antibiotic resistance is a public health concern, several layers of protection have been put in place to ensure that animal antibiotics do not affect public health. The CDC, FDA, and USDA, along with the veterinary community, animal health companies and farmers, have effective programs and processes in place to protect human health – none of which involve trespassing and animal theft (actions that are both illegal and entirely useless to the end goal of protecting public health).
Category: Key Issues
Tag: Alliance Statement, Direct Action Everywhere,