You might think your farm is tucked away on a back road, away from the eyes of your neighbors and the world. But that’s only an illusion, says Crystal MacKay, a spokesperson with the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC).

Someone with a camera on a cell phone can come onto your farm and tape your operation or walk into a sale barn or slaughter facility and shoot a video record of the animals.

She says the Canadian dairy industry spends $80 million annually to create a good public image but that can be undone through a single image of a downer or animal clearly in pain or sick in a sale barn.

Speaking to more than 100 dairy farmers at Dairy Day in Kemptville, she said most farmers do not understand the mind-set of the average Canadian non-farm family.

"In 2003, Canadians spent $5.7 billion on pets. They’ve never been hungry and they don’t want to feel guilty about eating their food."

But that’s what happens when they see pictures of downer animals or animals that are in pain.

She said bad publicity can ruin the industry, citing the example of Hallmark Westland Meat in California. A year ago, the company withdrew 65 million kilograms of meat after the company was investigated for animal cruelty. It was the largest meat recall in U.S. history. You can still find video on the Internet.

"Farmers do what is right 99 per cent of the time. But agriculture is judged on its worst performances," she said. "You should not have anything on your farm you are not proud of."

Sickly animals on the farm are neglected because of their low value. Consequently, commercial farmers with 101 tasks to perform before dinner put them at a low priority.

She says don’t ship a sick animal, not only for the animal’s sake but also for your pocketbook’s sake. On average, it takes between three and seven days to reach the slaughter plant. Some of the culls become sicker through transit and are shot and disposed of at the plant. The shipper is sent the bill for the disposal and trucking.

"Don’t ship them if they can’t walk," she says, "and don’t ship anything you wouldn’t eat. Ask yourself, can she withstand the journey?"

She says farmers should be vigilant. If they see cattle on a neighbor’s farm doing poorly, they should call the helpline. A farmer will go to the farm and try to help the owner solve the problem.