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If you want accurate information about agriculture, or have questions, the best thing to do is ask a farmer.
Phil Letten and Nick Wallerstedt, representatives of the Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals group, are touring the country to pressure Walmart to stop selling pork from suppliers who use gestation crates.
It remains to be seen if the animal rights protest in North Platte on Wednesday had any effect on where Walmart buys its pork. It may have accomplished something bigger, however — by opening the doors of communication between people on different ends of the food production spectrum.
Letten and Wallerstedt set up shortly before noon Wednesday on a public sidewalk. They erected a giant inflatable pig covered in bloody-looking sores and silently held a sign that read “Walmart tortures pigs.”
For an hour they gained attention from various media outlets and the occasional passer-by. No one stopped to inquire about the demonstrations or show opposition. Letten wasn’t surprised.
“We have bigger turnouts in cities like New York,” Letten said. “I think the most supporters we had was 50, and that was in L.A. Usually people just stop and ask us what’s going on. Most of the time they’re really supportive.”
Levi Fisher, secretary of the Lincoln County Cattlemen, believes the support is the result of misinformation about agriculture.
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