R-CALF Joins with Meatless Monday, Meatrix Creators

NCBA questions R-CALF's partnership with animal rights group

By Drovers news source
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Representatives of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association questions the affiliation of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) with the animal rights and environmental activist group Food and Water Watch.

According to separate news releases issued by the two groups, R-CALF and Food and Water Watch are joining forces on the campaign to support the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration’s (GIPSA) proposed rule on livestock marketing. NCBA President Steve Foglesong said well-funded activist groups, like Food and Water Watch, are working to obstruct the success of U.S. agriculture and its efforts to feed a growing global population. He said Food and Water Watch, a lobbyist group full of “career activists,” has a longstanding history of lobbying for stringed agricultural regulations that are devoid of science.

Food and Water Watch on its Web site defines factory farms as an agribusiness-controlled operation where “tens of thousands of animals are raised in crowded facilities.” In an attempt to portray the livestock industry as factories, Food and Water Watch sponsored an animated video called The Meatrix, which Foglesong calls a “strong manipulation of reality preying on consumers removed from production agriculture.” The Monday Campaigns, Inc. (Meatless Monday) is also associated with the film, according to the Web site for the video.     Read More

Normally I don’t dive into inter-industry politics on my blog but this needs to be brought to light. Why on earth would any group in the beef industry team up with the people who created the anti-meat movie “Meatrix”. I don’t care how desperate you are for money or to push your causes, there is no excuse for sleeping with the enemy. Frankly it’s embarrassing for them and damaging to everyone in the beef business. (For the record, I called R-Calf to get their side of the story.  No one was in their office on Thursday morning when I called so I left a message.  I look forward to hearing their side of the story.)