There's growing support in Western Canada for stopping trespassing in farm fields to prevent the spread of plant diseases and weeds, says Norm Hall, a Saskatchewan farmer and second vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.“The issue has really come to a head in the last 10 years,” he said in an interview. “It had been lurking in the shadows out here for some time.”While much has been said about protecting crops from invasive pests and weeds, Hall and others want farmers and the public to recognize the threat that can come from trespassers on foot, horse, snowmobile or ATV, he said.Farm groups such as the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan are pushing the provincial government to toughen and enforce trespassing laws on hunters and recreational uses.“In their current form, they're no deterrent,” he said. “It would take a $10,000 fine to get the public's attention.” As well police forces have to take the issue seriously.Avian influenza and the PEDv virus have made livestock owners aware of the importance of biosecurity plans, Hall said. Crop growers are regularly reminded of the need to clean tillage or harvesting equipment as they switch fields and to ensure customer operators do as well. They also need to make sure pipeline and utility workers follow biosecurity practices to when they come on farm land.What has brought the biosecurity issue to head in the West is the spread of club root in canola crops.Manitoba farmer Les Routledge, who is trying to raise awareness of the threat to crop health from trespassers, says he started with biosecurity for his livestock. “As I learned more about risk management procedures, I also adopted bio-security procedures on my crop and forage land.“That action really annoyed some hunters and recreational people, but the risk of spreading crop disease to my clean land was too much risk to take,” he said. “I had little tolerance for people who wanted to come onto my land without practicing bio-security protocols. The risk of introducing plant diseases like club root was too much in my mind.“What we need in Western Canada is a public education initiative to inform non-farmers about the risk they present to livestock and crop producers if they are not practicing appropriate hygiene practices,” he said. “In relationships between the ag sector and the energy sector, there has been considerable progress made to improve bio-security practices.”The Plant and Animal Health Strategy that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is to launch this year might be a vehicle for developing a national campaign about the threat trespassers could pose to crop health. A generic biosecurity guide has been created to help all farmers assure that they have the proper measures in place.A Plant Health Council is to be formed with producer and federal and provincial government representatives, said Greg Wolff of CFIA. It would be a forum for farm groups to use to set priorities for dealing with threats to crops and soil.“The PAHS is intended to increase the focus on preventive risk management, including biosecurity, and to bring about a more collaborative way of working among partners in safeguarding plant and animal health,” he said.It will emphasize preventing risks and focus on preventive and proactive actions that will provide the greatest return on investment for plant health, he said. “There is wide recognition among partners that preventive actions and mitigation of targeted risks generally provide the greatest returns on investment.”Routledge said, “There needs to be a change of mindset that farmland is private property and there is no right to enter that property without the full agreement of the landowner. This concept has been established in law with Aboriginal title, but it appears the right to exclude non-authorized trespass needs to be improved for rural land owners. “Our land is not public domain as exists in the UK,” he said. “Unless there is a historic and constant use of a right of way, land owners need to be authorized to control the conditions of access to their properties.”He noted professional crop scouts disinfect their boots between fields and some even use disposable booties over the footwear to minimize the risk of spreading crop diseases between fields.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.