Video secretly recorded... there is more to the story
As I am writing this, an animal abuse video is breaking the internet. For the past several days, my various social media feeds have repeatedly either shown or referenced a video secretly recorded on one of Fair Oaks Dairy’s farms, in which four employees and a fifth person working for another company hit, beat and neglected calves. This footage represented five minutes of undercover b-roll footage of the Animal Recovery Mission (ARM), and admittedly is gut wrenching to watch.
I am not suggesting nor encouraging one to watch the video. As a caretaker of livestock, a pet-owner, and a human with a conscious, this video makes me cringe. But what isn’t included in the narration is this is five minutes of over 1 million minutes of footage. As in they only found five minutes of abuse. Additionally, three of the four employees had already been fired for animal abuse reported by coworkers prior to the release of the video; the fourth employee was still employed by Fair Oaks Farms when the video was released but was immediately terminated; and the fifth person works for a transport company to which the Fair Oaks owner is communicating.
As farmers, ranchers, consumers, or anyone who remotely cares about animal wellbeing, this video should be troubling. Yet, as farmers and ranchers, we know there is more to the story than five minutes of disturbing footage. However, our public reaction and response to something like this can be either appropriate or further damaging in a sensitive time frame. Sharing this video with comments denying the abuse, saying it was staged, vilifying ARM for creating the video or making excuses for the treatment of the animals does not help agriculture or livestock farmers in the slightest.
If you do feel compelled to comment on things such as this, there are some key approaches to be mindful of in your response. A friend of mine is a media professional and has some tips in crafting your response to negativity such as this, and she’s graciously agreed to share:
Do NOT share the video. By doing so, you’re not only exposing more people to it, you’re also pushing it higher on search engines.
Avoid making excuses for why this might be inaccurate. You’ll sound like you’re in denial.
Avoid blaming those who recorded the videos. While they didn’t stop the abuse, they didn’t perpetuate it, and can say they were gathering powerful evidence so the abusers will be punished.
Avoid saying such abuse would be bad for business. This is about morals and ethics, not how much money you make.
Do talk about your personal response to the video and what you do to prevent such behavior.
Do show yourself with the animals and that they’re not afraid of you.
There are many great programs available in various agricultural groups that include media and communications training. If you haven’t had some of those opportunities, there are several great resources, such as the team at This Week in Louisiana Agriculture. And, I’m always glad to offer any insight I can. Please be mindful in how you respond and react to negativity towards our industry.