Meaty woes for Ireland

It’s been a while since meat last hit the headlines and, to be honest, I really missed it. Not the contaminated meat I mean, the haphazard way in which these major reputation crises are usually managed. Well, I say ‘managed’ but that is the operative word – there is usually no management going on whatsoever and here lies the problem. When bad meat makes the press you can almost guarantee it will make a communications textbook – these are 101s in how not to manage a crisis.

The latest episode in disastrous carnivorous comms is currently taking place from across the Irish sea. Apparently some of the pork producers have been feeding their pigs contaminated feed, making it potentially carcinogenic – lovely. I wonder just how long it’s going to take Eire and Northern Ireland to regain their piggy credentials and start selling the stuff in decent quantities again – a long time no doubt.

The competent management of a crisis should always start with a definite action and the wide-scale communication of that action. In this case, a complete recall, or call for consumers to dispose of all Irish bacon, was that action. Good so far you may think but then ask yourself, do you think you’ll be buying Irish again next week?

All is not lost yet but companies must move quickly on damage limitation. So far it seems most if not all comms have come from the foods standard agency. By choosing to stay quiet the companies responsible for the contamination seem content to sit back and let all pork producers in the two countries take the flack. Reasoned and placating comment is scarce while worry about safety abounds.

If Ireland wants to ensure its long-term future as a successful pork-producing nation it needs to start talking. Silence in a crisis only breeds conjecture and doubt. Granted, it would be unwise for one farm to step forward and say ‘it was me’, but the farmers do need to speak. The key culprits, or victims as they may be, need to band together to form a popular voice and put their message out there.

Without the voice of the pork producers all we have is a public health emergency and an exhortation to stay away from Irish pork for the foreseeable future. If the farmers stay quiet, people are going to stay away for a lot longer than if they speak up.

Irish farmers – speak and speak loudly before it’s too late.