The following column first appeared on Meatingplace.com and is reprinted here with permission from the author and Meatingplace. The views and opinions expressed are strictly those of the author.
The animal rights community has long adopted a confrontational role against animal agriculture. Hundreds of millions of dollars are deployed each year to drive up costs, increase regulations, and ultimately shut down family farms. Farmers and ranchers have often risen to the challenge, united against this elitist animal liberation movement, and said, “Hands off the American dinner plate.”
But there is a new tactic being deployed by animal rights groups: Infiltrate and co-opt advocacy groups, politicians, and even farmers themselves. A variety of individuals and groups are involved, some knowingly and others being misled and used.
Let’s start with Marty Irby. Irby was a lobbyist with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who then served as executive director of Animal Wellness Action, founded by Wayne Pacelle after Pacelle resigned as HSUS CEO following serious sexual harassment allegations.
Irby’s groups spent over $4 million to help elect liberal politicians in recent elections, while Irby gleefully tweeted pictures of himself with Nancy Pelosi and praise of anti-animal agriculture Senator Cory Booker. Irby applauded California’s Proposition 12, through which California now dictates how farmers in other states raise pigs, hens, and veal calves.
So it was surprising to see Irby turn up this spring as the new Chief Operating Officer of FreedomWorks, a “tea party” conservative group.
After Irby’s hire, FreedomWorks began targeting checkoff programs and advocating for legislation pushed by HSUS. But instead of coming from an animal rights group, this propaganda was now being aimed at a grassroots conservative audience via a group with conservative credibility.
Fortunately, this attempted hijacking didn’t last long. Once FreedomWorks learned of Irby’s background, Irby found himself out of job after only about nine weeks.
But the threat isn’t over – far from it.
There are also groups that present an agricultural face but that have shared causes, and funders, with animal rights extremists who want to end animal agriculture. Some have dubbed them “Phony Farm” groups because their views often do not represent those of mainstream modern farmers.
One of them is called the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), where Irby (an HSUS alum) is on the board of directors. OCM claims to represent farmers and be free market, but is actively opposing the EATS Act. This legislation would protect interstate commerce by preventing states like California from dictating farm practices in other states and protect farmers’ freedom to operate.
Then there’s Farm Action, which announced it is hiring Irby as a lobbyist. Farm Action’s co-founders both worked for HSUS, while other staff worked for leftwing members on Capitol Hill.
Financial records reveal even more about what’s really going on at these supposedly “pro-family farmer” groups.
Farm Action’s political arm received over $150,000 in 2017 from a foundation that has directed more than $100 million to animal rights groups. It also received $85,000 in 2020 and 2021 from a mysterious left wing dark money group called Sixteen Thirty Fund. The Fund funneled more than $400 million in the 2020 election cycle to help left wing causes.
Farm Action received $50,000 in 2020 from a foundation run by an HSUS board of directors member. It also received $100,000 in 2021 from the Schmidt Family Foundation, run by billionaire former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. His foundation funds a number of groups that believe meat is bad for the environment.
In 2021, 70% of the revenue for Farm Action came from just two sources: The Schmidt Family Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which is used by Silicon Valley/Big Tech philanthropists.
OCM also takes money from activists. Along with accepting over $120,000 from the Schmidt Family Foundation, OCM took $25,000 from a foundation in Oklahoma City that attacks the pork industry and gave $350,000 to help one of former HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle’s new groups.
What does this mean for farmers and ranchers? Lobbying and activism aimed at restricting animal agriculture across the country is being cloaked in the image of “family farmers” — even though Farm Action only has a handful of farmers affiliated with it.
Farm Action is lobbying for a so-called “Fair Farm Bill” that would attack modern large-scale farms and promote race-based federal grants. A better name for Farm Action’s campaign might be the “Anti-Farm Bill.”
Jack Hubbard is a partner and owner of Berman, an advocacy firm in the D.C. area. He regularly provides advice and counsel to clients in the agricultural sector. He can be reached at jack@bermanco.com.
