Collaboration between the Alberta SPCA and University of Alberta to address farmer and animal well-being.
Project aims to create assessment tools, provide resources, and deliver training to Alberta SPCA Peace Officers.
The Alberta SPCA and the Agricultural Well-being in Alberta (AgWellAB) program – part of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) at the University of Alberta — are collaborating to develop training and resources for Alberta SPCA Peace Officers to support farmer and animal well-being.
Alberta SPCA Peace Officers respond to calls of animal distress across the province. In some cases, the Peace Officer identifies that the owner of these animals may also be in distress and/or experiencing a mental health challenge. However, there is no existing training and few resources for Peace Officers to access in these cases to support the farmer’s needs.
In response, this project between the Alberta SPCA and AgWellAB’s lead researcher, Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, aims to create assessment tools, provide resources, and deliver training that empowers Peace Officers to effectively engage with residents living on farms. This will help Peace Officers identify possible cases where mental well-being may be a concern and provide resources for mental health support when investigating animal welfare concerns.
“During their daily duties, our Peace Officers often encounter people in crisis,” said Alberta SPCA Director of Education & Strategic Initiatives, Melissa Logan. “Through this partnership, we hope to strengthen rural communities by not only helping animals, but by ensuring farmers also get the care they need.”
“Equipping Peace Officers with the tools to recognize and respond to mental health crises can make a significant difference for both farmers and their animals,” added Purc-Stephenson.
This collaboration is guided by a One Health approach that states an individual’s health has an impact on animal welfare and the environment.
On top of the investments made by the Alberta SPCA to make this project possible, financial support has been provided under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-product sectors.