H1N1 Facebook Protest This Friday

Make This Your
Profile Pic for the Day!

Right click and choose "Save As"
On your Facebook wall, roll over your profile picture and click on the "Change Picture"
Replace with this image

Be an Online
Advocate for Agriculture!

1. On Friday, September 11, cut and paste this message into your profile status. If you can, leave it there all day.

Stop the hogwash! Call it H1N1, not "swine flu." You cannot get H1N1 from eating pork, and the misnomer is hurting pork producers financially.

Join me in the fight against bad farm facts. Copy this entire message into your profile status and leave it there all day. Then click "like" on the Illinois Farm Bureau Fan Page status to show that you participated. Thank you for supporting U.S. agriculture.

2. Then search the Fan Pages for your state or county Farm Bureau and click "Like" on their status. (This lets us count how strong we are!) If you can't find your Farm Bureau, click "Like" on Illinois Farm Bureau's page instead.

3. Finally, log onto Facebook Saturday to see the results!

H1N1 FAST FACTS
Experts Agree: Pork is safe to eat and handle According to the CDC, influenza H1N1 "is not transmitted by food. You cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products." The CDC also says, "The main way that influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes." Dr. William Schaffner, a flu expert at Vanderbilt University, has said, "There's no evidence that any influenza virus, and in particular this one, has ever been transmitted by the foodborne route or by handling food products." U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has said, "Pork and pork products are safe and there is no basis for restricting imports. You should also know that you cannot get H1N1 flu from eating pork. Pork products are perfectly safe." The United Nations and World Trade Organization has said there is no justification for anti-pork trade measures. U.S. pork producers use a number of precautions to keep animals healthy. Pigs live in clean, safe, controlled environments today - with well-planned housing, good nutrition and regular veterinary care. Even large operations subdivide the herd into separate buildings, so that the pork producer can more carefully monitor the health of the herd. If a pig in one part of the herd becomes ill, this further prevents any spread of illness. Pigs in modern operations are not exposed to birds and other wildlife, and make contact with fewer people, which greatly reduces the risk of transmitting illness. Many pork producers require shower-in, shower-out procedures for workers entering and leaving the animal housing, to help maintain a more sanitary environment.

H1N1 FAST FACTS

Experts Agree: Pork is safe to eat and handle

According to the CDC, influenza H1N1 "is not transmitted by food. You cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products." The CDC also says, "The main way that influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes."
Dr. William Schaffner, a flu expert at Vanderbilt University, has said, "There's no evidence that any influenza virus, and in particular this one, has ever been transmitted by the foodborne route or by handling food products."
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has said, "Pork and pork products are safe and there is no basis for restricting imports. You should also know that you cannot get H1N1 flu from eating pork. Pork products are perfectly safe."
The United Nations and World Trade Organization has said there is no justification for anti-pork trade measures.

U.S. pork producers use a number of precautions to keep animals healthy.

Pigs live in clean, safe, controlled environments today - with well-planned housing, good nutrition and regular veterinary care.
Even large operations subdivide the herd into separate buildings, so that the pork producer can more carefully monitor the health of the herd. If a pig in one part of the herd becomes ill, this further prevents any spread of illness.
Pigs in modern operations are not exposed to birds and other wildlife, and make contact with fewer people, which greatly reduces the risk of transmitting illness.
Many pork producers require shower-in, shower-out procedures for workers entering and leaving the animal housing, to help maintain a more sanitary environment.