A Municipal Perspective on Risk Management and Agriculture

Intensive livestock operations pose a level of environmental risk that can raise concerns and antagonism within the community. Some of these concerns are justified while others are more perceptual in nature. Municipalities are often lobbied by ratepayers to take action and to manage the risks associated with a changing and sometimes growing livestock industry. People see an evolving livestock industry affecting their personal quality of life, including the air that they breathe and the water that they drink This paper reviews some of the key societal, demographic and agricultural trends which impact at the community level. These trends translate into certain environmental, economic and socio-political concerns for which this paper offers a range of regulatory, voluntary, educational (research) and community based tools that can be applied to help manage related risks. The challenge for municipalities is to strike an effective balance between these initiatives.