It isn't easy to make consumers understand how farms function.   Ottawa—Livestock producers need to find a way to have a two-way conversation with consumers about how animals are treated on farms or the next generation of farmers will have an even tougher time coping with critics, says Marina Von Keyserlingk, a livestock welfare researcher at the University of British Columbia. Farmers now try to keep their production practices in line with what they consider to be community values but that isn't enough as can be seen in all the attacks on livestock production by social media critics and activist groups, she told a webinar conducted by the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council (NFAHWC). “How do we convince people we're doing the right thing,” she said. “While most would say it's a matter of educating the public, the research shows it's far more complicated than that. People come to believe that all animals suffer the way a few videos depict.” To tackle this misconception, animal agriculture needs to find a way to engage consumers in a discussion on how livestock are cared for, she said. “It's essential to conduct the conversation in a manner that avoids putting the sector on the defensive.” “What's needed is industry led research on the issue and openness to changing practices if needed,” she said. “We need to create a vision of the farm of the future that will prevent social criticisms. That means engaging with consumers about what values are important.” “If we don't do this, the public will call for even more changes.” She said people think animals should be outdoors more but they don't understand that leaving cattle on pasture late in the season only ruins the land for the following year. “It keeps coming back to how we educate consumers.” Because of its broad membership, the NFAHWC “is uniquely positioned to discuss farm animal welfare. While it could potentially start working on what a collective vision looks like, each of the farm livestock groups “will also need to engage in these discussions at a more grass roots level as only then can they bring along the majority of their membership.” The issue must be approached “with a mindset that's open to change,” she said. The public must see “there is a willingness to change and efforts are being done to identify solutions that work for the farmer, the animals under their care and the public. What is clear is that simply arguing that the public is not knowledgeable and thus need not be taken as a legitimate stakeholder will not work to maintain social license to practice in the long run.” A key issue is how the basic standards set out by the existing animal care codes “will be enforced to ensure that everyone within the industry is meeting the standards. This aspect has been particularly challenging for most animal industry organizations as it is always tough for one farmer to tell another farmer what to do.” “Enforcement will likely be best developed within each industry at the provincial level, she said. “For example, DFO sends farmers to visit farmers who have sent inappropriate animals to auctions. Similarly, proAction and equivalent programs in poultry are examples of early steps by the sectors to get their members to comply with basic standards.” She said these are examples of some organizations “starting to see their work as a self-regulating profession rather than a regulated industry. Of course, this is easier for the supply managed commodities because they can threaten to revoke licenses. Again, the timing of implementing a framework within each animal industry that identifies farms that do not meet the standards will be important as inaction on this issue will likely result in other stakeholders taking an active role in enforcing standards that may not work for the farmers.” Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.