Just in case it wasn’t entirely clear to readers of this blog by now, I am not a farmer. I’m a farm writer and by necessity that makes me a supporter of the agricultural industry, at least in the sense that if there was no farm industry I wouldn’t have anything to write about.
My real feelings are not that cynical, however. Based on my observation over the years I truly believe that most producers – big and small – are doing their best to address a multitude of growing public concerns over animal welfare, environmental stewardship, food safety and so much more. I believe there is still room for progress in all those areas and most producers would probably agree with me. The question is how government and industry can work together without being overly punitive.
If it seems like I’m not quite getting to the point of this piece, it’s because I’m always nervous about suggesting possible remedies to industry problems simply because I’m not a farmer – just an observer. But with the controversy over Alberta’s Bill 6, I felt I should throw my hat in the ring of public discourse.
In the unlikely event you’re involved in Alberta’s farm industry and are not familiar with Bill 6, the bill seeks to make Alberta Workers Compensation Board (WCB) mandatory for farm workers starting Jan. 1, 2016 and would make the ag industry subject to the same labour standards as most other industries. Many producers fear that putting these standards in place will affect the existence of small family farms.
The provincial Conservative government may not have understood much, but they understood farmers. In the case of environmental stewardship, they agreed the answer was to work with the industry to develop standards and best management practices built on a foundation of financial incentives. The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program was built on the conceit that, in general, farmers knew they had a responsibility to enact a certain level of environmental stewardship – the question was how.
I suspect producers feel the same way about labour management and farm safety. I can’t see why most producers who employ outside help wouldn’t want to provide WCB or some kind of insurance to their employees; they’re risking massive lawsuits otherwise. The question, with profit margins already tight in most categories of ag production, is how.
In that spirit, why can’t industry work together to develop something like a Farm Occupational Standards Plan? Yes, it would likely require spending on the part of government to help producers reach the desired goals and I realize that we’re not exactly in the sunniest of economic times right now. But you’re never going to win with producers by being punitive. I suspect that in some cases producers will just pay under the table and hope they don’t get caught. And unless Bill 6 is in actuality a tax on farmers and the government doesn’t really care about farm workers and safety, this legislation will not bring it any closer to its stated goals.
I have no doubt that many producers are “planned” out by this point. However, I would suspect that most farmers would still prefer an opt-in plan supported by industry and government than risk hefty fines because they’re not meeting one dictated standard or another. As cliché as it may be, you’re going to catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Make farm safety and occupational standards make sense from a marketing and profit perspective. Convince producers that minimum standards may prevent them from getting sued or even protect the lives of their own families. Turn a negative into a positive. Like it or not, it’s the Alberta way.
My real feelings are not that cynical, however. Based on my observation over the years I truly believe that most producers – big and small – are doing their best to address a multitude of growing public concerns over animal welfare, environmental stewardship, food safety and so much more. I believe there is still room for progress in all those areas and most producers would probably agree with me. The question is how government and industry can work together without being overly punitive.
If it seems like I’m not quite getting to the point of this piece, it’s because I’m always nervous about suggesting possible remedies to industry problems simply because I’m not a farmer – just an observer. But with the controversy over Alberta’s Bill 6, I felt I should throw my hat in the ring of public discourse.
In the unlikely event you’re involved in Alberta’s farm industry and are not familiar with Bill 6, the bill seeks to make Alberta Workers Compensation Board (WCB) mandatory for farm workers starting Jan. 1, 2016 and would make the ag industry subject to the same labour standards as most other industries. Many producers fear that putting these standards in place will affect the existence of small family farms.
The provincial Conservative government may not have understood much, but they understood farmers. In the case of environmental stewardship, they agreed the answer was to work with the industry to develop standards and best management practices built on a foundation of financial incentives. The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program was built on the conceit that, in general, farmers knew they had a responsibility to enact a certain level of environmental stewardship – the question was how.
I suspect producers feel the same way about labour management and farm safety. I can’t see why most producers who employ outside help wouldn’t want to provide WCB or some kind of insurance to their employees; they’re risking massive lawsuits otherwise. The question, with profit margins already tight in most categories of ag production, is how.
In that spirit, why can’t industry work together to develop something like a Farm Occupational Standards Plan? Yes, it would likely require spending on the part of government to help producers reach the desired goals and I realize that we’re not exactly in the sunniest of economic times right now. But you’re never going to win with producers by being punitive. I suspect that in some cases producers will just pay under the table and hope they don’t get caught. And unless Bill 6 is in actuality a tax on farmers and the government doesn’t really care about farm workers and safety, this legislation will not bring it any closer to its stated goals.
I have no doubt that many producers are “planned” out by this point. However, I would suspect that most farmers would still prefer an opt-in plan supported by industry and government than risk hefty fines because they’re not meeting one dictated standard or another. As cliché as it may be, you’re going to catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Make farm safety and occupational standards make sense from a marketing and profit perspective. Convince producers that minimum standards may prevent them from getting sued or even protect the lives of their own families. Turn a negative into a positive. Like it or not, it’s the Alberta way.