The Animal Agriculture Alliance (Alliance) and National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) announced this week a working partnership that seeks to maximize areas of expertise to ensure sound scientific information about animal agriculture is being communicated effectively to key audiences.

As part of the working relationship, NIAA, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing programs to work towards providing solutions for disease, while promoting a safe and wholesome food supply, will serve as a resource on scientific research and technical expertise. The Alliance, a non-profit working to safeguard the future of animal agriculture and its value to society by bridging the communication gap between the farm and food communities, will work to communicate this information to key audiences.

“The Alliance frequently fields questions from food brands, registered dietitians, media, and thought leaders on issues such as animal welfare, responsible antibiotic use, and environmental stewardship. This partnership with the NIAA will give us greater access to technical experts in these fields to ensure we’re communicating accurate, science-backed, and expert-supported information to these audiences,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Alliance president and CEO. “The animal agriculture community has an incredible history of progress – thanks in large part to advancements in science – and we’re honored to continue spreading that message with the support of NIAA.”

J.J. Jones, NIAA executive director, commented: “The NIAA has often served the animal agriculture community behind the scenes by convening experts and allies to explore, discuss, learn, and develop knowledge that fosters interdisciplinary cooperation and advances progress within the fields of animal welfare, animal health, and antibiotic use, among others. Working alongside our communications partners at the Alliance, we’re positioned to better support the animal agriculture community in communicating science while combatting misinformation.”

The partnership will entail coordinating media responses on technical issues with third-party expertise, collaborating on the development and review of talking points, infographics, and other resources on topics such as animal welfare, antibiotic use and sustainability, and hosting regular joint issue updates with key stakeholders from each organization.