Ontario dairy farmer Andrew Campbell addressed this week's Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario's Annual Convention discussing two key issues: anti-farming activism and how the agricultural sector can counter such activism.
Known for his passion of farming advocacy, Campbell says farmers as an industry must build trust among consumers again amid scrutiny from environmental and animal rights activists.
"They're (activists) using emotion, they're using relationships with our consumers to try to build trust, we have to do the same thing, we have to build that trust as well," says Campbell.
Campbell adds that as farmers, getting the message out there to consumers that farmers know what they are doing, is crucial to building that trust and bringing the consumer back.
"As an agriculture industry they (farmers) have the environment at top of mind, animal welfare all that type of stuff, it's just a case of we, as an industry, have to do something about it, we can't leave it for somebody else to do," notes Campbell.
Campbell and his family own and operate Bellson Farms in Middlesex County, an operation that milks Holsteins and grows corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.
Campbell is also the owner of his own communication's company Fresh Air Media and has a strong passion for advocacy within the Canadian Agricultural Sector.
=== Campbell says it all boils down to building trust as farmers:
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/1-Campbell.mp3"][/audio]
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Campbell says as farmers, "we have to build trust with the consumer" and get the message out that farmers know what they're doing:
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2-Campbell.mp3"][/audio]
