STE. ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE, Que. – Canada’s farm and food sectors are losing the public relations campaign for the trust of Canadian consumers, Quebec farmers were told last week.
Kevin Stewart, host and creator of the AgVision television service, told the Nov. 3 annual meeting of the Quebec Farmers’ Association that “a steady stream” of negative stories about agriculture have bombarded the public in recent years, such as water pollution deaths in Walkerton, Ont., activist campaigns against pesticide use and animal husbandry practices, and public opposition to hog industry expansion.
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“The premise is that agriculture is a negative place to be,” he said.
Stewart said the fact that increasing numbers of Canadian consumers are willing to pay a premium to buy organic products is a reflection of consumer perceptions of Canadian food production methods.
“There is a growing distrust that farmers are not producing the wholesome nutritious food that they once did,” he told a meeting of delegates from Quebec’s English-speaking farm community.
And the industry is not preparing to deal with the public relations fallout of the next food crisis, which he said is inevitable.
Stewart said farmers are doing many things to improve food safety and quality, but the consumers know little about it. The industry, including farmers, processors and retailers, should be co-operating more and spending more time and resources to connect with consumers before a crisis arises.
“There is a difference between doing the right thing, which the industry is doing, and being seen to be doing the right thing,” said Stewart. He suggested activist groups opposed to animal agriculture or pesticides see Canada as a “soft target” where pressure can be put on the industry and voters to ban urban pesticide use or impose onerous animal welfare rules.
And they will take advantage of inevitable future crises to press their agendas.
“Hiding and hoping a crisis will go away is not a strategy that will work in the future,” he said. “This is a battle. This is a war.”
He urged farm organizations to recognize the public relations war and the need to stay connected to consumers and to work to improve the perception of farm production.
Stewart acknowledged that public surveys of attitudes always show agriculture to be one of the most respected and trusted industries. But he said that may not translate into support for modern farming methods.
“People may like farmers but if you bore deeper, they may not like what farmers do,” he said.
