Navigate animal welfare versus animal rights at the 2024 Stakeholders Summit

Register and book hotel rooms by April 12 to secure discounted rates; refer a friend for the chance to win $100

The Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2024 Stakeholders Summit will feature panelists from Protect the Harvest, American Kennel Club, and CloverLeaf Animal Welfare Systems who will share their experience navigating animal rights activism and how to chart a winning path to continuous improvement in animal welfare – independent of the influence of animal rights extremists. The 2024 event, themed “Ready, Set, Solve! Advancing Animal Agriculture,” is set for May 8-9 in Kansas City, Mo. Register and reserve your hotel room by April 12 to secure discounted rates: https://bit.ly/AAA24.

Animal rights groups are frequently attempting to force change for farmers, ranchers, processors, and food brands through the lens of animal welfare. In reality, these efforts have little to do with enhancing animal welfare – a scientific concept regarding the physical and mental state of the animal. Instead, animal rights activist organizations are seeking to further their agenda to remove meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood as options on the menu by driving up production costs and elevating the legal and societal status of animals to have the same basic rights as people. In the session “Protecting Animal Ag’s Place on the Podium: Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare,” attendees will hear from experts including Protect the Harvest’s Mike Siemens, PhD; American Kennel Club’s Sheila Goffe; and CloverLeaf Animal Welfare Systems’ Jason McAlister as they share their first-hand experiences with navigating activist campaigns, how to work toward continuous improvement in animal welfare, and how to safeguard against upcoming trends in activism.

“It’s a common tactic for animal rights activist organizations to attempt to blur the lines between animal welfare and animal rights, however, there should be no mistake that their true intentions are much more extreme as they seek to eliminate consumer choice and take away a nutritious food group,” said Abby Kornegay, manager, issues and engagement, Animal Agriculture Alliance. “It’s vital for partners along the food supply chain to be able to differentiate between experts looking to improve animal welfare and extremist groups looking to ‘liberate’ animals and raise their legal status.”

The annual Summit is a one-of-a-kind conference attended by a diverse group of decision makers, including representatives from farms, ranches, allied industries, food processors, restaurants, grocery stores, legislatures, universities, government agencies, and media. Media registration is complimentary. Representatives of media outlets can contact Emily Ellis at eellis@animalagalliance.org for registration instructions.

Check the Summit website for the most up-to-date information and follow the hashtag #AAA24 for periodic updates about the event on social media. For general questions about the Summit please email summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-5160.

Help spread the word about Summit! If you refer a friend to attend the 2024 Summit who has never attended a previous Summit and they list your name as the person who recommended them when they register for the event, you’ll both be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card! Each referral will count as one entry and there is no limit on the number of entries for referrers. The Alliance will give away two $100 gift cards during the Summit – one drawing for referrers and one drawing for those who were referred. All registrations for the in-person event with a referral listed made until online registration closes on May 3 will be entered. Both the referrer and the person referred must be registered to claim the gift card.

Maximize your brand visibility and impact by becoming a sponsor of the 2024 Summit today! For more information on sponsorship opportunities still available, contact Logan Hall at lhall@animalagalliance.org.

Donate an item to the 2024 Silent Auction to support the 2024 College Aggies Online scholarship program. Previous auction donations have included goods and services such as artwork, quilts, jewelry, craft items, model farm equipment, gift baskets, gift certificates, food and wine, and sporting or entertainment event tickets. Fill out the request form or contact Grace Platte at gplatte@animalagalliance.org with any questions.

The 2024 Summit would not be possible without the support of our sponsors: Farm Journal, Meatingplace, Successful Farming, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Watt Global Media, Cargill, Zoetis, American Feed Industry Association, broadhead. + Filament, Merck, United Soybean Board, CoBank, Dairy MAX, Farm Credit Council, National Pork Producers Council, Pet Advocacy Network, Rabobank, Smithfield Foods, The Partnership, United Egg Producers, AdFarm, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Veal Association, Cal-Maine Foods, Cobb-Vantress, Inc., Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Kemin, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board, Phileo Lesaffre Animal Care, Progressive Dairy, Protect the Harvest, Eocene Environmental Group, Trans Ova Genetics, Eggland’s Best, North Carolina Farm Bureau, and Vivayic.

The Alliance safeguards the future of animal agriculture and its value to society by bridging the communication gap between the farm and food communities. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.