Virginia Farm Bureau has united with other organisations to tell animal agriculture's story, reports Shenandoah. Farm Bureau and 11 other agriculture-related industry groups have formed the Virginia Alliance for Animal Agriculture to support the state’s animal agriculture industry and inform the public about how farmers care for their livestock.

Lindsay Reames, assistant director of governmental relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, explained: "The average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm. Unfortunately, consumers don't know much about farming and only see headlines about agriculture when it’s negative news.

"Animal agriculture often finds itself on the defensive, but we need to tell Virginians the good news of how our producers take care of their animals in order to produce a safe, plentiful food supply for everyone."

Alliance members are the Virginia Agribusiness Council, the Virginia Cattleman's Association, Farm Bureau, the Virginia Horse Council, the Virginia Livestock Marketing Association, the Virginia Pork Industry Association, the Virginia Poultry Federation, the Virginia Sheep Producers Association, the Virginia State Dairymen's Association, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association.

She added: "We plan to provide a unified voice on animal care and want to serve as a body of knowledge for policy-makers," Reames said.