Pressure Tactics
This first month in 2014 has proven to be quite victorious for anti-animal ag groups who have pulled off some major coups, with both Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods recently informing their farm suppliers that they will be taking new steps in their efforts to incorporate animal well-being programs; efforts such as third party farm audits and video monitoring. These two food giants both claim that they are not giving in to pressure tactics from the likes of HSUS or PETA but are merely responding to customer requests. Interestingly, their primary customer base is not you the consumer, but rather large food retailers that include major grocery and fast food chains - food retailers that have been crumbling to HSUS pressure tactics like so much old cheese. The bottom line - animal rights activists’ main objective is not to restructure how farm animals are raised and make livestock farming better, it’s to do away with animal agriculture all together. And in the mean time their antics will put livestock producers out of business and push grocery costs through the roof.