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By Don McCabe, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
The growing public pressure that is impacting farming practices has more people talking about agriculture’s social license these days. Social license has been defined by some as the privilege to operate with minimal restrictions by maintaining the public’s trust for doing what is right. In agriculture, social license has the potential to be taking a bigger role with the segment of society that has a growing mistrust of science and technology. The reliance of the agricultural community on science and innovative technology means we must seriously look at social license to engage our consumers. When the majority of Canadian citizens had a direct connection to the land, there was inherent trust and understanding about how we grow and produce food. And now, with the vast majority of Canadians completely disconnected from food production, there are challenges being raised about agriculture’s social license. Because it is so easy for anyone to publicize information today, the opportunity for a disconnect between farms and consumers or misinformation about food and farming is greater than ever. Greater access to information doesn’t always help tell the good stories of agriculture. Information masquerading as science creates confusion and fuels a growing mistrust of some of the science and technology used to produce food. And that’s where social license comes in. Unregulated activities operate under social license. That is, as long as the public trusts farmers to do what is right in their operations, we have the social license to continue. But when public mistrust grows – whether it is based in fact or emotion – we are at risk of losing the license to operate with minimal restrictions. And that’s when new regulations get imposed. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) devoted time at a recent board meeting, and subsequent roundtable with Canada’s agriculture ministers to talk about agriculture’s social license. Discussions included the relationships between consumers and the agricultural industry, and ideas to build greater trust and transparency to strengthen our social license. Influencing public opinion about the value of modern agriculture is a tough job. It’s our job to help strengthen and maintain the public’s trust in how we raise our animals, grow our crops and care for the land. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) will be following the continued CFA discussion about social license. And we all have an important role in advocating for our industry to demonstrate the benefits our farming operations bring to society. For more information, contact: Don McCabe President Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-331-6175 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883
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By Mark Kunkel, Board Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Chances are, if you live and work in rural Ontario, you love the location. Wide open spaces, sprawling fields and no neighbours within reach are some of the best parts of living in the country. Unfortunately, there can be a downside to this rural living. Unwanted trespassers. Fields and farming buildings can be tough to keep a close eye on, and that opens the door to break-ins, unwanted visitors and vandalism. Every year farmers and rural landowners in Ontario come face to face with unwelcome traffic – individuals who take advantage of open, sometimes secluded spaces that make up our rural countryside. If you just look at the statistics, rural property crime rates are lower than in urban areas. But the implications of trespassing, vandalism, garbage dumping, animal activism and crop damage can be much more than just a nuisance. Rural crime can have a bigger ripple effect when you consider the impact on issues like biosecurity. It can be hard to know where to begin to think about protecting your property. Now there is a new online resource to guide Ontario farmers and rural landowners through some simple steps for stronger on-farm security. A practical guide to on-farm security was developed in partnership with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and Farm & Food Care Ontario. This project was funded in part through Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of Growing Forward 2 in Ontario. The new guide to on-farm security is now available on the issues section of OFA’s website at www.ofa.on.ca. There are three main parts to the guide – securing your assets, visitors on the farm and when to call police. There are lots of simple tips like posting No Trespassing signs on every entrance to your farm, keeping a visitor’s log of anyone who visits your farm property, developing a rapport with local law enforcement and keeping buildings, vehicles and other facilities locked. The OFA is encouraging all members to access the tips in this new resource to strengthen their on-farm security. To deter unwanted visitors even more, the OFA has been advocating on behalf of farmers and rural landowners to update the Trespass to Property Act. The OFA is asking the government to impose a minimum $500 fine for trespassing and broader police enforcement of trespassing to address farm safety and biosecurity concerns. The current act has damage awards, or compensation for vandalism and property damage, set at only $1,000, far too low for the types of damage farmers and rural landowners are already dealing with. The OFA would like to increase the ceiling on damage awards to $25,000 to match the ceiling for small claims court, $25,000. The bottom line is to always be alert and aware of what is happening around your farm. Take a read through the new on-farm security resource for practical tips to put in place that will protect your farm assets and your family. For more information, contact: Mark Kunkel Board Member Ontario Federation of Agriculture 705-492-4752 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 By Brent Royce, Board Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
It’s hard to imagine doing anything today without the internet. Yet two out of three Ontario farmers surveyed have unreliable internet connection, according to a recent survey of more than 1,000 Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) members. OFA recently conducted the survey to fuel the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s submission to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s Review of Basic Telecommunications Services for all Canadians. Survey results will also support OFA’s work on the need for affordable broadband internet connection across rural Ontario. As one survey participant put it, “the internet is just as important to rural families and businesses as it is to urban ones.” And we know from the survey, the vast majority of Ontario farm businesses depend on accessing the internet as part of their daily business. Some of the biggest uses are market and weather information, research, e-learning and participating in a global, digital economy. The survey focussed primarily on accessibility and affordability of rural internet connections. Results showed 94% of respondents believed access to the internet is important to their farm operations, and the majority of those indicated their business would suffer without reliable internet access. More than 50% of respondents believed better internet access would boost their bottom line by opening opportunities for domestic and international markets, and keeping pace with new innovations, technology and overall competitiveness. To deliver more affordable rural internet, we need the infrastructure to deliver high-speed, broadband at a similar price point to services offered to urban areas. When it comes to the price tag for being connected, more than half of the survey respondents believe there aren’t enough internet service providers available in their area. The concern is that a small number of service providers result in limited options, less competition and likely leads to higher rates. In today’s e-commerce world, the internet is an essential service. The OFA is advocating for comprehensive, accessible and affordable broadband internet across the entire province. Ontario’s agricultural industry and rural communities must be plugged in with the same level of connection as the urban areas of the province. That’s how we’ll continue to stay competitive, fuel the economy and meet the Premier’s Agri-Food Growth Challenge to double the growth rate and add 120,000 new jobs by 2020. For more information, contact: Brent Royce Board Member Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-291-8279 Neil Currie General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 |
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