By ABBY KORNEGAY-ANIMAL AGRICULTURE ALLIANCE

Article reprinted from Farm Journal’s Pork Business.

One of the most common ways farms and facilities are targeted is by unknowingly giving an animal rights extremist access to the property via employment. There are several animal rights groups that hire “investigators” with the sole intention of finding “undercover” employment at a farm or facility.

Don’t wait for an employee issue or crisis to arise before you act. Here’s what should be on your 2024 hiring checklist:

MAKE YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS MORE FORMAL

It wasn’t long ago that some deals were made with a handshake and a verbal agreement, but it’s time to upgrade. It’s important to have a written application and a place for applicants to sign off verifying their identity and any claims made on the application.

ASK POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES TO CONSENT TO A BACKGROUND CHECK

Your application should ask applicants to consent to a background check and be signed by the individual applying, authorizing the company to perform background checks. If they refuse to consent, this should be a red flag.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS DURING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

Make the most of your time face to face with potential employees and ask the right questions. Here are some examples to help you dig deeper:

• Why do you want this job?
• What do you do for fun?
• What relevant experience do you have in agriculture?

LEAN ON THE EXPERTS

As always, make sure you are working with legal counsel to make sure your hiring process follows all state and local employment laws.

This important work doesn’t stop once the hiring process is complete. It’s important to make sure your company creates a culture where employee welfare is taken just as seriously as animal welfare. The ag community relies on our employees to help do the important work of raising animals and producing safe, nutritious food. Without help, it wouldn’t be possible to do what we do, and animal rights extremists are often searching for vulnerable targets to join their cause and help spread misinformation from the inside. Making sure your employees feel heard, valued, and integrated into your farm or companies culture helps make sure that we don’t give them this opportunity.