Make Your Farm YouTube Ready

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In light of this week’s undercover video of a Wyoming pig farm by the Humane Society of the United States, the Ohio Pork Producers Council (OPPC) is advising U.S. pork producers to be thinking about the activities that take place on their farms.

“Are you doing all that you can do to assure you and your employees are abiding by the We Care ethical principles?” asks the OPPC Web site.

Those principles are based on protecting and promoting animal well-being by:

• Providing feed, water and an environment that promotes the well-being of our animals.
• Providing proper care, handling and transportation for pigs at each stage of life.
• Protecting pig health and providing appropriate treatment, including veterinary care when needed.
• Using only approved practices to euthanize, in a timely manner, those sick or injured pigs that fail to respond to care or treatment.

OPPC counsels: “It is now more important than ever to take extra steps in making sure employees are properly screened before entering your farm. All potential employees should go through background checks before starting work, in addition to providing solid references.

“Most importantly, take the time to be sure that your farms and barns are ‘camera-ready’ at all times. If someone came to your farm, totally unannounced, and shot video, would that be something you would be comfortable putting your name on?” the site asks.