By ANDY ANDREWS
Contributing Writer
MANHEIM, Pa. — For Eric Haman, the hellish week began on a Monday in early November last year.
Haman received a call from a Fox News TV producer that no corporate communications manager wants to receive: Fox News was in possession of an undercover 12-minute video. The video showed alleged animal abuse at a Country View Family Farms’ pork facility in Franklin County, Pa.
Haman is manager of corporate communications for Clemens Food Group, a division of Hatfield Quality Meats, Hatfield, Pa. The video contained images of employees of Country View (owned by Hatfield Quality Meats) picking up pigs by the ears and tossing them back and forth, according to Haman.
Need a response
Fox News notified Haman on Monday, Nov. 9, that the undercover video would be broadcast nationwide on Sunday, Nov. 15 — less than a week away. Before the broadcast, however, Fox News wanted to meet with Country View and record their reaction to the video.
Country View knew they had to respond quickly and correctly or risk suffering a public relations disaster that could send not only their company, but the entire pork industry, reeling.
In the end, Haman said, Country View was thankful they had even that much time to respond — the video could have been broadcast sooner.
The facility under scrutiny: Willow Hill Farm, a Country View contractor, in Fannettsburg, Pa. The plan: Address the allegations and put together an industry-approved response.
Haman detailed the story of how Country View managed to avoid the public relations disaster back in November during a presentation at the Animal Welfare Forum, “Working Together for Animal Welfare from Farm to Fork,” conducted Aug. 12.
The third annual forum was conducted at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pa. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Alliance for Livestock Care and Well-Being, the event was co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association and PennAg Industries Association.
Kicked into action
Immediately after finding out about the undercover video, Country View questioned managers at all farrowing and nursery production facilities. The video, created by a representative (an employee of Country View at the time) of the animal rights group, Mercy For Animals, was shown to several organization representatives — including livestock handling expert Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University.
By Wednesday, Nov. 11, Country View representatives were on the phone with the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, American Meat Institute, PennAg, and other industries to come up with an agreed-upon response to the issues.
Haman recalled how the company felt completely on the defensive, “backpedaling and off balance,” he said. “We felt out of control.”
Country View consulted with a nationally recognized public relations firm experienced with generating responses specific to the industry.
Public wants to know
Three questions were raised: What happened? What did you do about it? And what will you do to prevent it from happening again?
After the internal investigation was completed, Haman recounted some surprising facts: Their own internal audits made known that as far back as April 2009, Country View employees notified a manager of the incident. But because of a lack of proper training, according to Haman, the manager did not report it.
“It was a personnel issue, isolated to the farm,” said Haman, and the issue was handled internally in July 2009.
Taped at farm
Fox News wanted to interview Haman at a Country View Farm. The company’s initial response: the typical defensive posture taken by all companies, who use the word “biosecurity” as an excuse to avoid the press, according to Haman.
But after consulting with industry and media experts, Haman and Country View decided on a more direct approach: tape the Fox News TV show at Willow Hill Farm on Thursday, Nov. 12. They would view and react to the video at the location of the alleged incident.
In effect, Country View took back control, said Haman, and it paid off.
After Fox News aired the video and the Country View response Nov. 16, the phone hotline at corporate was flooded with consumer questions. Answers were carefully prepared and provided. Within a week, the calls eventually subsided. The company emerged unscathed.
Transparency ‘vital’
“We need to build a partnership of communication,” said state Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-36, who chairs the state’s Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.
Brubaker believes the conversations that promote transparency in the industry are “vital to the survival of the human race.”
To protect the industry, action must be taken before anyone receives word about an “undercover” video.
Silence won’t help
“We can no longer simply walk by and see things and simply say or do nothing,” said Dr. David Wolfgang, extension veterinarian with Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and a speaker at the forum.
Likewise, at the forum, Aaron Ott, director of production for Country View Family Farms, spoke about the need to be “pro-active” and not “reactive” to industry concerns brought by consumer groups who simply want to be ensured their food is safe.
The key to avoiding media crises is to show to the consuming public there is “nothing to hide,” he added.
