4 Po-tay-to, po-tah-to Only government can take something that should be simple and straight-


forward and make it complex and confusing. A case in point: groundwater licensing, as required in BC’s new Water Sustainability Act. As noted in the letter to the editor on page 6, government bureaucrats chastised Country Life in BC for “not knowing your facts” and spreading “incorrect information” about the initiative. For the past year, we have regularly reported on the licensing requirements,


providing first-hand accounts of numerous meetings held throughout the province explaining well registration procedures and processes. The government takes umbrage at the fact we sometimes refer to the


process as “well” licensing instead of “water” licensing and we sometime refer to the application fee for obtaining a water licence (which is being waived until the end of the year for existing groundwater users) as a well registration fee. Yes, we plead guilty, but we bet that most groundwater users would look at it the same way. Country Life in BC believes it is the paper’s role to make issues of importance as simple and easy to understand for our readers as possible. In doing so, we try to cut through the bureaucratese. Our semantics may not always be correct to the letter, but the gist of the current message is this: groundwater users must now obtain a licence for the water they use and the way to do that is to register their wells. If, as the letter states, “there is no requirement to (register a well),” why has


the government created a 60-plus-page guide for registering a well? And why is that guide so long? Rancher Linda Allison managed to condense the government’s information into eight pages using language that any producer can understand. And why does the process ask a farmer or rancher to detail exactly where the


well is located and exactly where the main lines are on the property? If the act only requires a license to use a set quantity of groundwater, a farmer should be able to say, “I’m using 10 million litres of water per year to irrigate my land,” and


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • APRIL 2017


“Im going to be honest about this – I‛m from the government, and I‛m here to bamboozle you.”


be done with it. Providing the usage is backed up by a farm plan, or isn’t otherwise out of whack with local practice, what more can government ask if its objective is simply to license groundwater extractions? We can only imagine FrontCounter BC’s reaction to such a straight-forward approach! Clearly, something more is required. Rather than criticize our semantics, bureaucrats should thank us for translating government-speak into farmer-speak. That’s our job and we believe we do it well.


It’s our responsibility to set the record straight Things aren’t always quite what they seem. A few


weeks ago, a video clip was shared on the Facebook page of a family member. It was a re-post of a YouTube clip titled Cow Loves To Catch Snowflakes On Her Tongue. The first eight


Back Forty BOB COLLINS


seconds of the video


show a Holstein calf standing half out of a hutch catching snowflakes on her tongue. The caption accompanying the original Facebook post was: For a lonely cow, even the simplest things can bring so much happiness.


The image in itself seems innocuous (maybe


even cute), but the accompanying comments on both YouTube and the Facebook share were decidedly negative. All the way from sorrow that calves had to live this way to the observation that at least she had this simple joy before the horror starts. In one case, the calves were identified as inhumanely-reared veal calves, though the ear tag that would identify the star of the show as a dairy heifer is readily apparent. This particular train of thought was derailed by a viewer who could see that and briefly explained hutch housing and some of its benefits.


The final 10 seconds of the clip are an invitation to subscribe to The Dodo. Closer scrutiny of the details surrounding the original YouTube clip reveal the video was by Anita Diamantopoulou, footage


was provided by Jukin Media [jukinmedia.com], and, “To rescue farm animals, you can visit: thedodo/farmsanctuary.” The Dodo also encourages you to connect with their website, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. The expressed aims at The Dodo site include


protecting farm animals from cruelty and promoting compassionate vegan living. Diamantopoulou, who posted the original video, is identified on her LinkedIn profile as associate video editor at The Dodo. Jukin Media, who supplied the footage, is a company which solicits, markets and provides rights management for videos. Judging by the number of executives pictured on their website, business is booming. The clip of the calf and snowflakes is listed for sale on their web site as Cow loves snow. V#948535.


All farmers should be concerned The Dodo certainly isn’t the only organization


advocating the protection of farm animals from cruelty and/or promoting compassionate vegan living, and they are well within their rights to do so. But there are concerns here that all farmers should recognize. Firstly; the calf in the video appears to be clean,


healthy and well fed. The calf is described as lonely. Assuming that Diamantopoulou, in her capacity as associate video editor, secured the video from Jukin Media and was not present when it was recorded, the conclusion that the calf is lonely was likely reached to create a negative impression. If anything,


Publisher Cathy Glover


604-328-3814 . publisher@countrylifeinbc.com Editor Emeritus David Schmidt 604-793-9193 . davidschmidt@shaw.ca


The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol. 103 No 4 . APRIL 2017


Published monthly by Country Life 2000 Ltd.


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Production Ass’t: Naomi McGeachy . Happy Easter, Peter Rabbit! www.countrylifeinbc.com


the calf seems curious and fascinated by the snowflakes – its brief appearance as the preamble to a subscription appeal and the instruction, if you want to save farm animals, meant solely to foster an image of animal cruelty. Secondly, the Jukin Media site shows that there is value in independent videos. If The Dodo was willing to pay for the calf catching snowflakes, imagine what kind of interest there would be for a “sick” calf with a runny nose or a “filthy” lamb with mud on its knees, or “starving” cows “screaming” for their breakfast. If there is a market for it, you can bet someone will step forward to fill the demand and if a calf licking snowflakes can fill the bill, who among us couldn’t somewhere along the line? George Orwell predicted that Big Brother would be watching in 1984. Little did he know that in 2017, everyone would be watching. By 2020, global smart-phone use is estimated to exceed 70% and wireless access will top 90%. Every phone is a camera and the day could come when you wake up to find the old horse that is living out its last summer in the little field by the road has turned into a viral media animal cruelty sensation and you have become the poster child of animal abusers. If the phones aren’t enough, let us consider


camera-equipped flying drones. Ones that will easily fit into the palm of your hand are already here. Ones that mimic birds and bugs are in the works. What to do?


Stand up and state the facts whenever you find falsehoods and misrepresentations – and be ever mindful of the optics of what we do.


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error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error which advertises goods or services at a wrong price, such goods or services need not be sold at the advertised price. Advertising is an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. All advertising is accepted subject to publisher’s approval. All of Country Life in British Columbia’s content is covered by Canadian copyright law.


Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Country Life in British Columbia. Letters are welcome, though they may be edited in the interest of brevity before publication.


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