Renegotiating farmers' social licence

Abstract

In this final chapter, we bring together many of the strands from the previous chapters. We highlight some themes from the experience of farmers and farmer organisations, in part viewed through the lens of the more academic chapters. We suggest some potential directions for more effectively tackling social licence issues in farming. Of all the lessons that emerge, one stands out: renegotiating the social licence of farmers will require committed leaders and cohesive farmer organisations able to secure the trust of an often sceptical public. This requires that they embrace unpalatable criticisms so that they can develop strategies to deal with them to the extent that is possible. Such adjustments are often likely to require significant changes to historically established farming practices, and new governance structures in the farm sector. Only within the context of a sophisticated strategy of genuine engagement with the demands of the community is it likely that tactical interventions, such as public relations, voluntary impact reporting and political lobbying, will prove to be effective in the longer term in defending the maximum freedoms for farming. If it is possible to create a genuine partnership with government and non-government organisations outside the farm sector, then co-regulation that will better reward greater social responsibility is possible. If not, then farmers may find themselves continually on the back foot, responding defensively to increasingly costly and complex regulatory requirements.