With the proposed Live Sheep Export Ban, we are witnessing the latest example of the battle of bush vs burbs in the battlefield of Social Licence. In the farming context, Social Licence refers to the acceptance and approval of agricultural practices by the broader community and society at large.
Social Licence driven change is not new. It was not that long ago that firearms and ammo could be bought in Kmart and tobacco farming was widespread across irrigated areas in Australia.
Agriculture can lose Social Licence for several reasons, which often stem from perceptions of negative impacts on communities, the environment, or ethical concerns. Some changes are logical, others less so. It’s the gap in logic where conflict arises.
The issue that agriculture faces is the lack of knowledge of realistic agriculture practices within the majority of the voting populace. In previous generations, regional communities were proportionally larger, family connection to agriculture was greater and every suburban backyard had at least a lemon tree, if not a throng of chooks.
Food was typically minimally prepared, meaning consumers were aware of deboning, tenderising, skinning and even slaughtering (going back to those backyard chooks). Even the government education system involved mandated school tours through the blood and guts of abattoirs and small goods manufacturers.
These days, the food we eat is so distant from the original source that in some cases it is not clear whether the protein within is from a bean, nut or animal. For a kid today, food doesn’t come from farms, it comes out of a plastic pack.
Agriculture has aided this disconnection as it seeks to avoid attention. The old adage, “it's best not see how a sausage is made” means that things that are gory, smelly or messy are kept out of public view. Producers also accentuate certain practices as a means of competitive advantage. Why would ‘organic’ be premium if ‘inorganic’ wasn’t bad in some way? (The reality that 100% organic production would collapse food production, a la Sri Lanka, in 2021, and cause mass starvation, is not included on the packaging.)
This bush-to-burb disconnect is not going away. Urbanisation is a thing and Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world – somewhere around 85% of our population live in cities. This percentage is remarkable when comparing to other highly urbanised countries whose land area is tiny (e.g. Singapore is basically a single city island) whereas Australia is the sixth largest country in the world by land mass.
This distance between agriculture and urban life is increasing as Australia’s smaller regional towns contract and new arrivals continue to flock to the big cities. Moreover, being a first world country, a good proportion of our populace is not worried about the basics of life such as food and shelter but rather about feeling good about oneself emotionally. If a Facebook post does the rounds stating (incorrectly) that using Roundup in the garden to manage weeds also kills bees, then it gets reposted, as the recipient is 'doing good' in letting others know. When activist group X proposes to ban Roundup in agriculture, then the Facebook user gets on board as it will save the bees!
Although animal welfare and chemical usage will continue to draw Social Licence focus, the next battlefield looming large is with Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and it is likely to be on two fronts.
The first will be the volume of emissions generated by agriculture itself, as it's easier for a city dweller to legislate the behaviour of someone else hundreds of kilometres away rather than their own behaviour. The second is agricultural land being reallocated to mitigate other industries. This is already happening with fossil fuel companies returning ‘old’ farms to natural bush to offset new fuel production.
Of course, what this will mean in the longer term for city folk accessing cheap and plentiful nutrition, let alone the broader economic diversity, is not part of the average person's calculation. The unintended consequences that come from underinformed people making decisions that impact the greater good should not be underestimated.
Agriculture shrinking further into the shadows may not be the best strategy.
