Are the employees working on your farm there to help care for your animals? Do their goals align with your business? Unfortunately, it’s a common strategy for some animal rights organizations to have individuals go “undercover” on farms. They record videos that can be taken out of context, stage scenes of animal mistreatment or encourage abuse to record it without doing anything to stop it.
While the first step is always ensuring your animal care practices are beyond reproach, the Animal Agriculture Alliance also advises farmers and ranchers to be vigilant when hiring employees working on your farm. Ensure everyone hired is there for the right reason – to provide care to livestock – and does not have any ulterior motives that would distract from that.
7 tips for hiring farm employees
The Alliance is a non-profit working to bridging the communication gap between farm and fork for more than thirty years. We monitor animal rights activists and offers these tips when hiring:
- It is vital to thoroughly screen applicants, verify information and check all references.
- Be cautious of individuals who use a college ID, have out of state license plates or are looking for short-term work.
- During the interview, look for answers that seem overly rehearsed or include incorrect use of farm terminology.
- Search for all applicants online to see if they have public social media profiles or websites/blogs. Look for any questionable content or connections to activist organizations.
- Require all employees to sign your animal care policy. Provide training and updates on proper animal handling training.
- Require employees to report any mishandling to management immediately.
- Watch out for red flags, such as coming to work unusually early or staying late and going into areas of the farm not required for their job.
Trust your gut
Always trust your gut – if something doesn’t seem right, explore it further. Be vigilant and never cut corners, even if you need to hire someone quickly. Doing your homework on every job applicant may be time-consuming, but it can ultimately save your business’ reputation. As always, it is important to work with your legal counsel to ensure compliance with federal and state laws.
For farm security resources and background information on animal rights activist organizations, go to www.AnimalAgAlliance.org or email us. Members of the Animal Ag Alliance have access to more detailed resources on hiring and farm security.
