H1N1 and Your Employees as Messengers

With the “new” flu virus dominating the headlines and our industry being one of the hardest hit, this is a critical time for us to spread the message that our products are safe. You might have received the informative e-mails from industry groups and other producers, but have you multiplied its message?

I don’t forward many e-mails, but this matter is an exception. The information that the average consumer is getting from the traditional media lacks the emphasis needed to reassure consumers of the safety of pork. It is also not focusing on the impact that this near-pandemic is having on the lives of producers and their employees.

Here are a few suggestions to increase the impact of the message:

• Forward those informative e-mails to your family and friends, especially those not closely involved in agriculture. (If you are like me and rarely forward e-mails, the impact of getting this from you will be all the more meaningful…)
• Print out the information, distribute it to your employees, and makes copies for them to take home and give to their friends, family and neighbors.
• Watch the TV news, read the paper and listen to radio broadcasts. Send a quick e-mail (or make a quick call) to those newspaper, TV and Radio stations that are still using the “Swine Flu” terminology in stories. Many ran the stories about it not affecting pigs or pork meat, but some still use the Swine Flu wording and show pigs in their graphics. Remind them that they have an obligation to be factual and consistent in their reporting, and that thousands of people’s jobs could be lost if the misinformation continues.
• Encourage your employees to talk to their family and friends about this issue. Give them the information and remind them that this is their industry as well.

This site has several good resources for the information you need to create your own message, or you can simply copy the sections that are appropriate.

Here is a sample of an e-mail that I got from a local producer:

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Dear Friends, Neighbors and Family,

No doubt you have all heard of the outbreak of the H1N1 virus that the media is calling “Swine Flu”. Our family feels compelled to provide you with the best information about this situation that we have available.

First, the World Health Organization claims that the proper name for this virus should be the North American Influenza, not the Swine Flu. The best we understand is that viruses are named after the animal they are first found in. This particular virus was isolated in a pig in 1930, thus the name Swine Flu has “stuck”.

Secondly, at this time no pigs or people working with pigs, in Mexico or the US, have been found infected or sick with the virus. It is not known for sure if this new strain of the virus will even cause any type of illness in pigs.

Finally, based on the information from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) we would like to reassure you even if the virus was found in pigs that the flu cannot be contracted from pork and pork products. Additionally, we have stepped up our bio-security measures to protect our employees and the welfare of our animals. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at _________.

If you would like additional information, check out the National Pork Board’s website at Pork.org. We take seriously our role to be responsible members of our community, and to provide pork products for consumers around the world.

Thank you,

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(Thanks to Mark and Phyllis Legan--Coatesville, IN)

Update this information as needed and make it personal to your operation.

This is a unique opportunity to enlist the force of your employees as an army of informed consumers to share valuable information about your industry.

Don Tyler