I have watched helplessly as farmers in Australia are continually harassed by animal rights extremists. Hundreds of people will show up on farms — harassing farmers, chaining themselves to equipment, stealing animals, etc. It is completely out of control. So much so that a couple had to close their small family store and farm due to continuous harassment.
In a recent post, a friend and fellow farmer shared how this is now happening in Canada. She states:
“Yesterday, 200 activists descended on a family farm in Abbotsford, just 45 minutes from our farm. (This hog farm had recently been the target of a trespasser who had accessed their barns at night, recording video, and submitted the video to PETA. In true PETA fashion, the clips were highly edited before a short segment was released to the world.) The activists took over the farm early Sunday morning, entering the barn illegally, and set up camp. The police were summoned, but the activists refused to leave until the media had been invited to the farm to document the protest and the inside of the barns. The farmers and law enforcement acquiesced and the farmer led a media tour of his facility. The farm’s vet also made a special visit to inspect the animals. After the tour, the activists left the barn and the 35 who had entered the barn were arrested.”
So let me get this straight, 200 people showed up on a farm because they watched some YouTube videos and decided they didn’t like how this farmer (a complete stranger) farmed? They would not leave until their demands of media coverage and entry into the barns (with the exception of 35 who went in without permission) were met? AND everyone obliged? Oh hell no. This is not OK. Disagreeing with someone doesn’t give anyone the right to do this. Disagreeing with someone doesn’t make a mob of 200 people showing up at someone’s home, place of business, or farm OK.
Folks, people have already been threatening to do the very same thing in America on family farms like mine. Regardless of whether you think it will happen to you or not, this is the world we now live in, and you need to make sure you are prepared.
Here are a few things you should consider:
- Immediately place “No Trespassing” signs up along your property, at all entries to your farm, and buildings. Check your state laws and signage to ensure you have the correct distance between signs as well as correct verbiage.
- Install gates at all points of entry to your farm.
- Lock all buildings, shops, etc. when not in use.
- Ensure that all family members and employees are on the same page with who is allowed to be on the farm.
- Train all employees on how to handle asking someone to leave the farm and what to do if they refuse to leave.
- If you are alerted of a possible attack on your farm, notify authorities immediately.
- Familiarize yourself with all laws pertaining to trespassing in your state.
- If they show, keep your cool. Ask them to leave. Call the authorities.
I wish this was a post where I pointed out all the rights you have as farmers/ranchers. I can’t. After looking into our state laws, criminal trespass in the first degree — which is to knowingly enter or remain unlawfully in a building (this doesn’t apply to if they only come on your property) — is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in county jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000. With rural jails being overcrowded and large activists groups funding these “protests,” their fine would most likely be covered and them seeing the inside of a jail cell would be highly unlikely.
So while all the things I mentioned above are incredibly important to consider, we should be contacting our local representatives asking them what they plan on doing to protect their family farms in the future as well as ensuring that such acts have higher consequences than a slap on the wrist and/or a small fine.
Krista Stauffer is a wife, mother of three, and first-generation millennial dairy farmer. Krista works side by side with her husband and kids on their 200-cow dairy.
