Minnesota Pork Producers Association (MPPA) Executive Director Dave Preisler was facing a wall of television cameras this morning following the release of undercover video shot in a Minnesota swine facility. 

Lora Berg 1, Editor

July 18, 2012

1 Min Read
Telling the Positive Pork Production Story
<p> Dave Preisler, left, Executive Director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, answers reporter questions following a Mercy for Animals press conference in Minneapolis. </p>

 

Minnesota Pork Producers Association (MPPA) Executive Director Dave Preisler was facing a wall of television cameras this morning following the release of undercover video shot in a Minnesota swine facility. Many reporters from Minneapolis media outlets were waiting in line to get Preisler’s take on the allegations made by the Mercy for Animals (MFA) activist group.

 

Preisler was doing the pork industry proud, providing a calm, rational and research-based counter-point to the dramatic video and allegations being made by MFA as part of a campaign against gestation stall use. He was pointing to findings released by a panel of farm animal care specialists who had reviewed the video. He also provided reporters with lists of credible swine veterinarians, university specialists, and pork producers who were willing to give reporters tours of their operations.

 

Preisler said the media questions were mainly centered on whether specific production practices shown in the video were really normal. “The reporters are seeking some context regarding what they are seeing and hearing," Preisler explained. “They are asking why we do what we do, such as why we clip tails and castrate pigs, for example.”

 

He emphasized that the take-home message for pork producers is that communication with the public is crucial. “More than ever, transparency and telling the story about what we do is very important,” Preisler noted. “Pork producers also need to think about the things they do every day and how it looks on camera. Farmers need to be engaged with the public.”

 

Preisler emphatically reinforced that the pork industry is made up of responsible producers who care about their animals. Learn more about the MFA’s statements regarding their broader economic agenda here

About the Author(s)

Lora Berg 1

Editor, National Hog Farmer

Lora is the editor of National Hog Farmer. She joined the National Hog Farmer editorial team in 1993, served as associate editor, managing editor, contributing editor, and digital editor before being named to the editor position in 2013. She has written and produced electronic newsletters for Farm Industry News, Hay & Forage Grower and BEEF magazines. She was also the founding editor of the Nutrient Management e-newsletter.

Lora grew up on a purebred Berkshire operation in southeastern South Dakota and promoted pork both as the state’s Pork Industry Queen and as an intern with the South Dakota Pork Producers Council. Lora earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from South Dakota State University in agricultural journalism and mass communications. She has served as communications specialist for the National Live Stock and Meat Board and as director of communications for the University of Minnesota College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences. During her career, Lora earned the Story of the Year award from the American Agricultural Editors’ Association and bronze award at the national level in the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ competition. She is passionate about providing information to support National Hog Farmer's pork producer readers through 29 electronic newsletter issues per month, the monthly magazine and nationalhogfarmer.com website.

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