Slow police response is making the situation worse.   Ottawa—Increasing trespassing on livestock farms by opponents of animal agriculture is causing significant disruptions to the entire agrifood sector, says Keith Currie, First Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Slow police response has led once-peaceful protests to escalate into invasions, breaking and entering into barns and other livestock facilities, theft, and harassment of farmers and their families, he told the Commons agriculture committee. It has spread to protests around processing plants and the obstruction of transport trucks. “These incidents distress farmers, their families and employees and threaten the health of livestock and crops,” Currie said. “When activists breach biosecurity protocols, this ultimately puts the entire food system at risk.” The committee is studying Conservative MP John Barlow's bill to toughen farm trespassing penalties. Currie said it should be passed because the existing laws are inadequate to deal with the current “well-orchestrated and planned events that result in uninvited and unwelcome trespassers on farm properties, yards, buildings and processing plants. Their intent is to “cause economic stress for the producer.” Barlow's bill “will complement provincial legislation as an indicator of the severity of these offences and that protecting the agrifood industry is critical. Charges, when laid, are often dropped by the court system as they are considered minor infractions.” He recommended the bill be strengthened to make it illegal for people without lawful authority to enter any place where animals are kept because of the risk of outsiders carrying a disease or toxic substance that could contaminate livestock. “As well, add in anyone who aids or abets someone in this should be considered party to that contravention.” The mental health of farmers is affected by the threat of trespassers, he said. They “already face a wide variety of daily stressors that affect their mental wellness, whether it be weather, environment, market fluctuations, farm labour and social isolation. Trespass and activism are now an additional growing source of stress.” In addition to infecting livestock, trespassers could bring an invasive species into the farm's crops. “It's devastating to not only the producer where it happens but also the entire area in which it happens is quite often affected. It affects multiple producers, costing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.” Deb Stark, a veterinarian who has worked in a variety of Ontario government posts including Chief Veterinary Officer, said the risk facing livestock is exposure to a disease that a trespasser could be carrying. Farmers have set elaborate security measures to try to prevent that. “Farmers expect to follow rules. They expect others to do the same and to suffer consequences when they do not. I don't think it's going to help any farmer's mental health if expectations rise because this bill passes, and then nothing really changes.” The Canadian food production system is a success story, she said. “As long as the world chooses to eat meat, Canada can be a good place to raise animals. Canadian farmers deserve a regulatory environment that protects their animals, them and their assets.” 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.