4 Nip the buds


Harvest is in full swing across the province, with cattle heading to the fall sales and autumn fruits stacked high at farmers’ markets. It hasn’t been a bad year, even though many orchardists and grape growers expect reduced yields from the blast of cold weather that hit the province in February, nipping some fruit in the bud. One bud that has yet to be nipped is


trespassing on farm properties, which members of the public seem to feel – for whatever reason – is their right. While many farmers are welcoming, most also take a dim view when interlopers arrive and disturb the crops and livestock they pour their lives into tending. Whether the trespassers have four legs or two, they’re not welcome if they’re going to cause problems. This is increasingly the case with activists,


who feel the end of liberating animals justifies the means of intervention. Whether it’s entering barns to install cameras or rescue animals, trespassing is still trespassing. Many farm groups have voiced similar concerns about right-to-roam legislation, regularly proposed by BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, and the national park reserve planned for the South Okanagan. Private property rights are fundamental to civil society, and in the case of agriculture, a safe food supply. Without an ability to


manage hazards, farmers won’t be able to meet all the other expectations society places on them. And that’s the other concern that needs to be nipped in the bud: concerns regarding food safety. The current system when it comes to meat


products is complaint-driven, meaning that regional health authorities typically don’t pay close attention to what’s going on at small meat plants unless someone complains. And those complaints are usually driven by a bad experience. But too many bad experiences add up to a


bad reputation, which is why public concerns regarding food safety need to be addressed from the get-go. Whether the source is a small regional packinghouse or one of the large facilities in the Lower Mainland, the health authorities must be seen to be staying on top of issues – and better yet, ahead of them. It’s what the consumer expects of them. It’s also critical to making sure that animal


welfare activists have no basis for making allegations against commercial producers. While there will always be people philosophically opposed to consuming animal products, good production practices – including secure facilities that keep livestock comfortable and healthy – demonstrate it’s not the farmers who are behaving badly.


Climate woes are everyone's responsibility The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest


report in July. Climate Change and Land is a wide-ranging document sub-titled Special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. The report is global in scope and was drafted by 63 authors from around the world. It’s a long and somewhat cumbersome read but its essence is hard to argue with: human activity involves 72% of the world landmass not covered by ice; most of the 72% is used in one way or another for agriculture and forestry; land is


The Back Forty BOB COLLINS


eroding, degrading and turning into desert, forests are disappearing, and unless things change in a hurry something messy is going to hit the fan ere long. Somehow, humankind must come to grips with some grim realities. The global population is expected to increase from 7.7 billion to 9.9 billion by 2050. That increase alone is more than the entire world population of 100 years ago. As the climate continues to change and land is degraded, agriculture and the


global food system will be challenged to keep pace. The report calls for major restructuring of the world food system starting with dietary changes right at the dinner table, where the menu will forgo animal products and focus on seeds (grain), nuts and vegetables. Also of primary concern is the estimated 30% of total food production that is lost or wasted. The report, while acknowledging the impossibility of dictating personal food choices, insists that animal agriculture in general – and pastured animal agriculture in particular – will have to be abandoned as part of any meaningful effort to rein in global warming. Cattle and rice production are identified as major sources of methane emissions. Reduced to simple terms, the report is saying that agriculture as it currently


functions is degrading the Earth and is a major emitter of climate warming greenhouse gas (GHG). The short-form solution is a worldwide change of human diet.


Simple enough but – as ever – the devil is in the details. Agriculture has and will continue to evolve in response to human demands and expectations. To this point, the expectation has primarily been an abundant supply of cheap, safe and diverse foodstuff. To its credit, agriculture feeds 7.7 billion people every day. If there is a dramatic agricultural revolution in the offing, it will only occur in response to a dramatic evolution in the food expectations of the billions who rely on it.


That will be a tough nut to crack. Rice is a dietary staple for nearly half of the world’s population.


Environmental concerns notwithstanding, any suggestion that it be abandoned is likely to be met with widespread distrust and hostility from those who depend on it. Populations who do not depend on rice might see it as a logical and


necessary step to dealing with climate change. There will be some who will embrace the recommended IPCC diet and eschew rice and red meat altogether, yet manage to justify flying halfway around the world for a two-week holiday. Herein lies the grand hurdle in addressing climate change: the singular human paradox of being able to understand the scope and consequence of the problem on one hand yet exempt themselves from the personal responsibility to participate in the solution on the other. The IPCC report outlines the big challenges in detail and offers many small solutions while recognizing there is no way to hit a home run and force a new diet on most of the world’s population. The low-hanging fruit in the whole exercise would seem to be the estimated 30% of global food production that goes to waste. If it could be halved, agriculture would become more efficient and gain enough breathing room for some of the reports smaller proposals. Changing agriculture alone will not solve the climate crisis in a world where 7.7 billion (and counting) people drive 1.3 billion (and counting) automobiles and make 4.3 billion (and counting) airline flights every year, but we should all be mindful of the IPCC report’s final conclusion which, to paraphrase, says: The longer we wait, the worse it will be. Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni


Valley. Publisher Cathy Glover


The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915 Vol.105 No.9 . SEPTEMBER 2019


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