The General Manager of Manitoba Pork is calling on farmers to seize the opportunity to interact with consumers and share the good news story of how their food is produced.
In an effort to maintain the trust of the public, farmers, processors and everyone involved in supporting agricultural production are being increasingly called upon to actively engage in telling the story of modern farming.
Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, says its a subject that is growing in importance across all of agriculture, and especially animal agriculture, where more and more consumers are asking where does their food come from and farmers need to be ready to an answer that question.
First off, they want to know that their food is safe. That really is the primary question and that comes through a combination of government regulations. Having very strong food safety regulations is important to consumers and there is a trust with that, as well as having industry programs that help assure food safety.
After that, the questions around how animals are raised. Are they raised humanely? Are they getting the right feed at the right time? Are antibiotics used in the production of animals? Are they treated for diseases when it’s necessary? Those are the kinds of questions that consumers want around animal care and they’re also concerned about the impact on the environment and what are Manitoba producers doing to reduce greenhouse gases, to make efficient use of nutrients and we have a really good story to tell on all of those fronts.
We need to tell it and organizations like mine need to do a better job of communicating that really good news story to consumers.
~ Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork
Dahl sees this discussion with consumers around how their food is produced as an opportunity for farmers in Manitoba to reconnect with their customers.
He says we have a unique opportunity and we need to grab it.
