What can you do to protect your farm from animal rights activists

By Don Schindler, DMI for DBA

We’ve seen a recent uptick in animal rights activists gaining access to farms to film farm practices and/or steal animals. To protect your farm, your employees and business reputation, we’ve put together a list of best practices.

Here are some on-farm protection practices you can take:

1. Hire the right people.

The No. 1 thing you can do is hire good employees. They can also be your eyes and ears when you aren’t around. When hiring, ask these questions:

• Do you need housing? If not, check how far they live from the farm
• How long have you lived in the area? Many times, activists are new to an area.
• How much experience do you have with agriculture?
• Do you support animal rights organizations?

Make sure you ask for references and verify their past employment. Google their names and check their social media properties, which can reveal a lot about their interests. Definitely trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t make the hire.

2. Consider having your employees sign a cow care agreement.

You can find examples of an agreement at nationaldairyfarm.com or SeeItStopIt.org.

3. Partner new employees with trusted ones.

Consider having a 90-day trial period in which a trusted employee works directly with the new employee.

4. Put up Biosecurity Risk signs and No Trespassing signs.

When people see a “Biosecurity Risk” sign along with “No Trespassing,” they understand you are trying to protect them, the milk and the cows.

5. YouTube proof your farm.

Take an urban friend to your farm and ask them to identify areas they have questions about. It’s important to view your farm through the eyes of a consumer. See if changes are warranted as a result.

6. Get to know local law agencies and neighbors.

Build relationships with local law enforcement agencies and those nearby your farm who can vouch for your reputation as a farmer and neighbor. Knowing who to contact in your sheriff’s office, for example, can help you manage on-farm situations.

7. Consider adding security cameras.

If something happens on the farm, it’s great to have backup proof to refute something that may have been edited or taken out of context.

Here are some online protections practices for your farm:

1. Purchase your farm’s business name online.

Consider buying a domain name for your farm (www.yourfarmsname.com) and set up a website. Search engines will show this first when a consumer searches for your farm name.

2. Do a Facebook search for your farm.

Facebook creates unverified community pages of business locations automatically. If you find your farm, take ownership of your farm’s community page. You can take ownership by clicking the “Own this business link” and filling out the form.

3. Search Google for your farm.

Google autogenerates business pages for locations. If you find your farm, take ownership of the business page by clicking on “Own this business” link and filling out the form.

4. Set up Google Alerts for your farm’s name.

Google lets you set up free email alerts if your farm’s name is mentioned on the web (this does not work for social media).

5. Consider creating a website and Facebook page.

A farm website and Facebook page will provide a community of people who can help you combat misinformation about your farm.

What if something happens on your farm? Immediately call your local checkoff staff and co-op representative for assistance. Contact information can be found at www.dairy.org/local-checkoff.

Need more help?

Your local and national checkoff staffs have crisis trainings available for farmers and dairy businesses. Please contact Tricia Sheehan (Tricia.Sheehan@Dairy.org) for more information on setting up a drill or workshop. We also have training and information within the Dairy Hub, a secure online community of dairy farmers and industry professionals. If you would like to join the Dairy Hub, please visit http://dairyinfo.org.

DBA member benefit: Contact our public relations department for support:Jamie, jmara@widba.com; Joanna, jguza@widba.com.