WASHINGTON – Criticisms leveled at modern-day agriculture practices focus on perceptions of what's gone wrong in the agriculture industry. Now, livestock and poultry groups want to tell consumers about what's going right in animal agriculture.

The Animal Agriculture Alliance has issued a report called “Advances in Animal Agriculture: What the Center for a Livable Future, Pew Commission and Others Aren’t Telling You About Food Production.” The report highlights advances and successes achieved by the industry in the areas of animal welfare, food safety, sustainability, research and use of antibiotics.


“Many organizations — including the Pew Commission — have long criticized the animal agriculture community for not caring enough about their animals or environment or prioritizing public health,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “While there’s always more progress to be made, the entire animal agriculture community has worked hard and has achieved results. Those results should be shared.”

The report is a collaboration of organizations representing beef, chicken, turkey, pork, egg and dairy farmers and ranchers. It provides examples of how each segment has improved animal welfare and food safety, and raised productivity while reducing the impact on the environment. The Alliance will host a teleconference Oct. 22 starting at 11 a.m. EST featuring:

• Dr. Richard Raymond, former Under Secretary, Food Safety Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Dr. Scott Hurd, former Deputy Under Secretary, Food Safety, USDA
• Janeen Salak-Johnson, PhD, Univ. of Illinois, Associate Professor Animal Science
• Dr. John Glisson, DVM, MAM, PhD, Retired Department Head of Population Health and former Head of the Department of Avian Medicine, Univ. of Georgia; Vice President, US Poultry & Egg Association
• Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Extension Specialist, Department of Animal Science, Univ. of California Davis