"It is important that the agriculture industry joins together for the common goal of building public trust in the US food system," said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau and chairman of USFRA.

"USFRA is proud to have partners like Pfizer Animal Health supporting our mission of enhancing consumer trust, maintaining and enhancing the freedom of US farmers and ranchers to operate in a responsible manner, and strengthening collaboration within the food production, processing and distribution systems."

As a member of the Premier Partner Advisory Group, Pfizer Animal Health has a seat on the USFRA board, the Chief Executive Officer Advisory Council and an opportunity to participate in USFRA committees/task forces, annual meeting and educational activities. In addition, the expertise of Pfizer Animal Health can be used to help guide official positions in important animal care and health practices topics.

"Healthy food begins with healthy animals," said Clint Lewis, president of US operations for Pfizer Animal Health. "Veterinarians who care for animals on America's farms play a key role in this effort, and through our collaboration with USFRA, Pfizer aims to raise the visibility and the voice of the veterinarian in our nation's conversations about food production."

The Alliance will focus on enhancing consumer trust in today's food production through education and communications to consumer influencers and thought leaders. An important Alliance goal is to lead the conversation about the industry's commitment to continuous improvement and the importance of today's agriculture.

"It's important for us to help educate consumers about the existing strong partnership between livestock farmers and their veterinarians," said Roger Saltman, DVM, MBA, group director, Cattle & Equine Technical Services, Pfizer Animal Health. "It's their daily attention to good stewardship practices that enables our food supply to be safe, nutritious and affordable."

"Veterinarians working together with farmers and ranchers allow for the creation of strong animal health programs," added Shelley Stanford, DVM, MS, MBA, director, Pork Technical Services at Pfizer Animal Health. "This protects not only the animals, but society at large, including public health and food safety."