Doing what’s right vs. looking for the camera - Lynn Becker, Pork Producer; Sherrie Niekamp, M.S., National Pork Board; Cindy Cunningham, National Pork Board, from the 2012 World Pork Expo, June 6-8, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

1. Crisis Communication
in Real Life
PORK Academy
World Pork Expo 2012
Lynn Becker, pork producer

2. A Lesson Learned from National News
3. On Jan 15, 2009….US Airways flight 1549 took off from
LaGuardia Airport.
4. 90 sec after that, it lost all engine power upon striking a flock
of geese 3,200 ft above NYC.
5. 3 ½ minutes later, the plane touched down in the Hudson
River with all the passengers and crew safe and sound.
What could have been a major loss of life became a
textbook lesson in crisis management based on
preparation and the use of available tools

4. When activists come to YOUR farm
 MowMar, LLP –Bayard, IA
 6,000 sow farm
 Recently purchased by new owners
 Becker family – Fairmont, MN
 Thome family - Adams, MN
 Corrective actions implemented

5. A three minute video….
 September 16th, 2008
 PETA released video and launched
member e-mail campaign
 Landmark event – worldwide news
 Inappropriate actions as well as language
displayed

6. A three minute video….
 Aimed at Hormel, but affected all
industry
 Nearly 30,000 calls, e-mails and letters
received from consumers, customers and
media
 More than 11.6 million media
impressions from more than 220
published articles referencing PETA and
Hormel Foods

7. We’re here to help
 After “Oh Crap” what did you do?
 Called the following
 Manager & other owners
 State office
 National offices
 Attorney
 Banker
 Packer

8. The wheels were in motion
 Coordinated effort of the industry led by Cindy
Cunningham from NPB
 NPB, NPPC, AASV, IA Pork, MN Pork, Hormel to name a
few
 Alliances strengthened ahead of time
 Unprecedented event – writing the book as the events
unfolded

9. What we learned
 Crisis management
 Immediate response & action
 Farm situation
 PETA
 Media
 All the time
 Watch for signals & investigate
 Details, details, details

10. What we learned
 All the time (cont.)
 Create a positive barn culture
 Ethical Principles – We Care Program
 Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus
 Transport Quality Assurance (TQA)
 Operate like you’re on camera
 IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!

11. What helped prepare us?
PRIOR LEADERSHIP ROLES
 FFA
 College boards & activities
 Pork Producer Boards
 MN Ag & Rural Leadership program
 School boards, PTL, etc.
Building alliances BEFORE you need them!

12. Media / Leadership Training
 Pork Producers
 Farm Bureau
Young Farmer Program
Leadership Experience
 Operation Main Street

13. Conclusion
 Be vigilant
 Be prepared
 IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!

14. Establishing Culture
Sherrie Niekamp
Director Swine Welfare

15. Culture: the set of values,
conventions, or social practices
associated with a particular field,
activity, or societal characteristic.

16. Employee Recruiting and Hiring
• Background checks
– Correlations between animal abuse, child abuse and
neglect, domestic violence, elder abuse and other forms
of violence.
• Check references
• Written job descriptions defining job responsibilities
• Interview questions
– Attitudes towards animals
– Scenario based questions
– Task related questions

17. Orientation of New Employees
• Set the expectations
– Employee Handbook
– Animal Welfare Policy
– Whistleblower Policy
• We Care Ethical Principles
– 6 areas
– How these impact daily tasks

18. Training and Managing Caretakers
• Teaching the expectations
– All animal caretakers are PQA Plus certified
– Formal documented training process
– Written Standard Operating Procedures
• Employee performance management
– Performance appraisals at least annually
– Training specific to daily duties and retraining as needed
– Use progressive discipline practices when performance is
not meeting job requirements

19. Animal Care Program
• PQA Plus site assessments
– Advisor and internal
– Corrective actions
• Maintain required records
• Consult with herd veterinarian
• Animal handlers and transporters are TQA certified
• Source pigs from sites with a current PQA Plus site
assessment

20. Community Outreach
• Transparent animal care philosophy and program
• Outreach to lenders/consolidators/packers
• Engaging with your neighbors
• Engaging with local law enforcement to discuss
farm security and emergency response.

21. Are You Prepared
for an Opposition Group?
Cindy Cunningham
Assistant Vice President, Communications
National Pork Board
ccunningham@pork.org 515-223-2600

22. Other Action Plans in Place
• Farm-level action plans
– Manure management plan
– Roster of contacts for emergencies
– Breeding programs
– Feeding programs
– Pig flow plan
– Crop rotation
– Emergency Action Plan

23. Potential Farm Action Plan
• Contacted by PETA/HSUS/FARM…
– Who is the lead/team
• What are their responsibilities
– Is the contact legitimate
– Who needs to know
– Who can help
– Get the facts straight
– What is the plan

24. Industry Assistance Is Available
• National Pork Board
• National Pork Producers Council
• State Pork Association
• American Association of Swine Veterinarians
• Extension
• Law Enforcement

25. Potential Plan Segments
• Activist correspondence
• Employees
• Pork production
• Legal counsel
• Law enforcement
• External communications
– Lenders, packers, vendors, neighbors, community, media
• Industry relations
– the ability to do business after the situation

26. What Do You Need To Protect?
• Your family and employees
– Safety first
– Keep getting the work done while you fight the battle
• Your animals
– What if your employees all quit
– Who cares for your pigs
• Your reputation
– Not just issue of pride
– Issue of being able to do business

27. In All Cases
• All employees need to know the plan
– And their role
• Who is in charge and deals with this situation
– Owner, site manager, team leader
• Who is their backup/assistant
– Should be available to assist in any way
– Take notes, listen, contact additional help

28. Mow-Mar As Example
• The owners of the farm were focused on doing
the right thing in this situation
• They met with PETA
• They took corrective action
• The industry was able to tell the story
• The outcome would have been significantly
different had the owners not followed those
steps

29. Bottom Line---
• Do the right thing
• Tell your story before someone else tells their
version
• Have your alliances and reputation in order
before you need them
• Every single situation is an industry situation today!

30. Every Situation Impacts Us All
• Have your house in order
• Know your plan
• Build your relationships early
• Do the right thing every single time

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33. Available Resources
Questions
sThis message funded by America’s Pork Checkoff Program.