While the BSE crisis has had widespread economic costs, the repercussions it has had on the health of farmers and ranchers across Canada has received relatively little attention.
Researchers from the University of Calgary’s Rural Family Health Study group are working to uncover an in-depth perspective on the subject in a wider effort to inform policy planning and to assist struggling farmers. The organization is now recruiting individuals to participate in a nationwide survey examining the impact of prion diseases on the health and well-being of Canadian ranchers and farmers.
According to the study outline, “BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy] and related prion diseases are social disasters in ‘slow motion’ yet there is little empirical evidence of the impacts on individuals, families and communities.”
“There’s a lot of concern about stress and suicide related to BSE and other factors as well,” says Ryan Brook, PhD, a University of Calgary researcher involved in the study. “Obviously, BSE doesn’t occur in a vacuum. There are other issues like high feed prices, the high Canadian dollar relative to the American dollar. All of these issues affect farmers in an already relatively precarious situation.”
Participants will be followed over a minimum of three years, with the goal of examining how the health of farm families and the surrounding communities adapt over time. At least 100 farmers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia will be surveyed this year, with followup studies planned thereafter in two-year intervals.
Brook says that there is a widely held misconception that the BSE crisis that hit in 2003 is over, but the response the study group has received from farmers has proven the contrary. While some farms have adapted and thrived in response to BSE, others have declared bankruptcy or sold out.
“I’m particularly interested in adaptation. How are people thriving in the face of this? We have heard a lot of the extreme stories where farms have been lost and people have committed suicide, and those are the extreme, terrible situations, but I’m also interested in hearing the stories of the people who continue to thrive and succeed in spite of all this.”
While preliminary results will not be available until mid-summer, Brook says that some of the feedback from the agriculture community is showing that the impacts of the BSE crisis will likely last for an entire generation. In order to survive, some farmers have sold off their land, their machinery and found off-the-farm jobs.
The University of Calgary is the central hub for co-ordinating the study and analyzing national data. It is part of a larger project lead by Dr. Wilfreda Thurston of the University of Calgary and Dr. Carol Amaratunga of the University of Ottawa in collaboration with researchers from institutions across Canada. One of the project’s priorities is to return information to the communities and inform government policy-makers of the status of farm families in the wake of BSE. Brook says that the most important aspect of this study is participation and giving farmers and ranchers an opportunity to voice their concerns and struggles.
Members of farm, ranch and rural communities interested in participating can contact the national research co-ordinator, Madhu Sindhwani, by calling toll free 1-877-422-4358 or e-mailing ruralfamilyhealth@ucalgary.ca. For more information on the project, visit http://fchnet.ucalgary.ca/.
