Animal agriculture as an industry is much different today than it was 50 years ago, and the relationship between producers and consumer is just as different as the industry itself. Today dramatically less consumers have any background of how the food they are eating is produced. Production specialization and the scale at which operations are profitable, in addition to the increasing vertical integration of the industry has led to fewer people producing a greater amount of our food. The lack of familiarity of some consumers with the animal agriculture industry has created a gap between them and producers. Differing opinions on production agriculture have now filled that space. The three pillars of Public Affairs are deeply interconnected through these issues that have …show more content…
Consumers still hold the future of the animal agriculture industry in their hands, but currently many are making decisions without being entirely informed. Currently the fear of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is wide spread. Recently the public in the U.S. has been pushing for GMO labeling on foods. And while GMOs are generally associated with crop production, it is also affecting animal agriculture, more specifically aquaculture. Salmon have genetically modified and are now viable on a large production scale. Most consumer, despite pushing for labeling, are quite uniformed regarding GMOs. Some don’t even know what the acronym stands for. In fact legislators have denied bills from coming to popular votes because they do not believe the public would be making informed decisions. Instances such as the one with GMOs is why it is so important for members of the animal agriculture industry to be transparent with their processes and share in their knowledge. By being ethical leaders and engaged in our communities the animal agriculture industry fosters cultural competence among both themselves and