The Rotary Club of Airdrie was honored today with Sean Royer speaking to us about sustainability of the Alberta Agricultural Industry. Sean is currently the Executive Director of the Environmental Stewardship Branch in the Ministry of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. His responsibilities in this role include leading the development and implementation of the social license strategy for the Ministry, environmental agriculture policy development and analysis and applied research, extension, and programming to encourage the use best practices to improve stewardship on the farm.
Agriculture no longer enjoys the confidence of consumers that it once did. Since 1968, increasing expectations related to social license issues such as environmental sustainability, responsible resource use, food safety, animal welfare, and farm safety is changing how food is produced. He discussed the drivers behind social license, how food companies, producer organizations, and government is responding and what it will meant for the future of the food industry and lessons for the forestry sector.
