Agriculture Responds to Activist Video
May 26, 2010- Members of the agriculture community spoke out against the mistreatment depicted in a recent video released by an animal rights activist group while showing support for the farmers and ranchers that work every day to ensure proper animal welfare standards are met.
- “Representatives of the dairy and agriculture industry in general are just as outraged as the
general public over an alleged ―undercover‖ video of animal abuse on an Ohio dairy released
yesterday by activist organization Mercy For Animals.”- Cindy Zimmerman, World Dairy Diary
- “Dairy farmers don’t milk cows because they plan to get rich; they do it out of love for the cows
and the dairy business. It’s a tough job that requires 365 days of work – and the bottom has
fallen out of the milk market in the last couple of years. They’re not asking for your sympathy –
they just want you know that animal rights videos don’t represent how much their family cares.
And, speaking as a dairy person, seeing such cruelty makes me want to cry and keeps me up at
night.”- Michele Payne-Knoper, Cause Matters Corp
- “If these allegations of abuse are found to be true then I’m livid that these people ever
considered themselves dairymen and part of the agriculture community. Their actions are an
insult to every one of us that work so hard everyday to properly care for our livestock. I wear the
titles of Cattlemen and Rancher with pride, but along with them comes a responsibility to uphold
the values and tradition of animal husbandry. Everyone I know that works with livestock feels
the same way.”- Troy Hadrick, Advocates for Agriculture
- “Every other farmer I know who cares for animals has at one time or another put those animals
well being ahead of their own or their families time or needs. Whether it is treating a sick animal
during the middle of the night after having been woken from a well deserved slumber to recover
from the previous days long hours, or having to jump up from the dinner table to fix a water
system so the animals have a cool refreshing drink.”- Ray Prock, Dairyman
- “Those of us who choose to be involved in the production and care of food animals do so
because we love the animals, we love the people, and we love the end product. We’re
defensive of our community, both from the attackers on the outside, and as importantly from
those on the inside who do us harm by ignoring their own moral and ethical responsibilities.”- Andy Vance, Agri Broadcast Network
- “Any attempt to portray these horrific acts as commonplace on Ohio farms would be deceitful.
Farmers take care of their livestock because it’s what decent people do, and because
comfortable animals are productive animals. Farmers should not be judged by this aberrant and
disgusting event.”- Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
- “I encourage everyone to take the correct course of action. First, treat your animals with
respect, take care of them as if you were on a reality TV show that everyone can tune in to
watch. Second, if you hear of, see, or suspect animal abuse, report it. Third, stand behind the
Ohio Livestock Care Board that was voted in last year as a way to create new standards for how
livestock are treated in Ohio as well as enforcing, investigating, and creating stiffer penalties to
those that do participate in these horrendous acts. We can’t turn our back on abuse.”- Mike Haley, Ohio Farmer and Rancher
- “Prosecuting the ―bad actors‖ to the full extent of the law is the answer. Zero tolerance. Lock
them up. Throw away the key. Let the livestock industry take the lead in making an example of
them. We—as an industry and as individuals—must be out front in making it known that these
actions will not be tolerated. Animal abuse is wrong. And it must be stopped.”- Mike Barnett, Texas Farm Bureau
Category: Press Releases
Tag: Dairy, Mercy for Animals, Undercover Videos,