GLYPHOSATE - It seems we have lost the narrative

This article is bought to you by GE Silos and Vic Feeds.

By John Gladigau - Executive Director at Bulla Burra Operations Pty Ltd

Like a lot of people in Australian ag, we are once again trying to come to terms with yet another high profile news story on glyphosate - this time on 60 Minutes. Each time, our industry leaders and quality grass roots farmers willingly make themselves available to give an articulate, educated and balanced view - and it seems each time we are burnt. Once again we are subjected to the 'doom' music whenever the words glyphosate, agriculture and cancer are used, Selective 'experts' are used, along with the obligatory 'gotcha' moments (so - would you drink it?). And then of course we see the mini boomspray merrily spraying across a public golf course, a tight camera shot on the drifting of the spray as it passes by, the voiceover of a 'victim' in the background. What can you say...

The reaction from Ag on social media has been swift and harsh. The obvious rebukes around the fact that you would never blanket spray glypho on a golf course as it would kill it, the misrepresentation of chemical safety, the comparison of use of significantly diluted garden products with Ag chemicals, the assertion that if you aren't happy to drink it you shouldn't use it - and the seemingly accepted fact that if someone believes in their heart (without any scientific or medical proof) that glyphosate is responsible for their illness that we ought to accept and legally act on it.

In saying this, I think we all have enormous compassion for those depicted with illness in the stories. They are genuine. Their suffering is real. Their demand for answers justifiable. The media also feed on this, and directing their emotion, their hurt and their anger towards an industry like ours is understandable.

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We can rebuke all we like. We can try and justify what we do and post facts, figures and personal life experiences as much as we want. And we in Ag will all agree with each other, and pat ourselves on the back and self righteously criticise the media.

It doesn't matter.

We are communicating within a bubble. The Ag bubble. We are talking amongst ourselves.

We have lost the narrative.

'Sixty Minutes' proves that. 'Four Corners' proves that, as have 'A Current Affair' and 'The Project' before them. The list goes on. Each time another high profile opportunity present itself to tell the story of how we as agriculture are managing a changing climate in an environmentally sustainable manner we grab it with both hands - and so we should. But we don't have control of the narrative, so it will never really be our story. Lets face it, it is fear which sells. Ratings are driven by stories of the underdog taking on the perceived monster. Unfortunately we are seen as the monster, or at least feeding the monster.

I'm really not sure of the answer, other than we need to find a way to be proactive, rather than reactive or defensive in this debate. Being seen as defending an issue or product in many ways seems to imply guilt - and the media will always jump on and exploit this.

I think that we as an Ag industry need to focus on going out and telling the story of what we do in a proactive way, and in doing so build trust with the public. We have not done this well in the past. There are amazing stories to tell of how Australian agriculture is leading the world in environmental management, water use efficiency, climate variability and more - yet we seem reluctant to share what we do and have a fall back position of defence.

In past posts I have spoken of the need to engage before we can educate, and there is a no more important time than in this debate. The only way we can burst outside the ag bubble is by genuine engagement with those outside of our own industries. It can be hard, time consuming and frustrating. But it can also be educational, enlightening and rewarding.

When you ask most farmers about the biggest issues surrounding ag, the responses are usually around drought, weather, climate change, markets, commodity prices, profitability and more. However, probably one of the biggest issues staring us in the face by far is social licence and the public perception of what we do.

And that is why we need to find a way to change the narrative.

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