The head of the Indiana Pork Advocacy Coalition (INPAC) says it’s time to stand up to attacks on Indiana livestock operations by the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club.
In April, the Sierra Club began running radio advertisements in the Indianapolis area calling on citizens to "stop pollution by animal factories." The radio spot called on state officials to add more regulations to Indiana’s livestock confinement feeding rules.
"Their media tactic is to create public distrust of farmers by preying on the emotions of citizens who don’t understand modern farming practices and then getting the public to call for more government regulations," says INPAC Executive Vice President Terry Fleck.
"These environmental groups say they want to protect small farmers, but their accusations and calls for more government regulation hurts small farmers the most. It is clear to our farmers that environmental activists, like Sierra Club, would prefer reducing the number of farm families in our state, leaving only a few large operations they can control," he states.
Fleck goes on to say that the Sierra Club’s current media attack in Indianapolis and recent comments by Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert Kennedy, Jr. show that environmental activist groups don’t care about farm families or the environment.
"These types of activist actions underscore the need we have in agriculture to improve the public’s understanding and acceptance of pork production. The public must know the truth before we will ever get agreement and acceptance of today’s environmentally sound and highly regulated livestock production practices," says Fleck.
INPAC is working to improve consumer awareness about pork production practices and bring balance to negative images fostered by groups like the Sierra Club.
INPAC is also providing key local, state and national legislators with the correct information about responsible pork production practices.