Sarah Berger Richardson, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law

The Role of Non-state Actors in Barn Fire Prevention Strategies

In the agricultural sector, a barn fire is a devastating disaster that can destroy one’s livelihood in minutes. While barn fires can be traumatic for farmers, farmworkers, first responders, and communities, they are even more tragic when animal lives are lost. Sadly, this happens regularly. Common causes of barn fires are electrical malfunctions or improperly placed or faulty heating devices as well as combustibles. Although instruments such as the National Farm Building Code provide some fire and structural requirements, they are inadequate and unevenly applied to farm buildings across the country. While animal rights advocates have rightly been calling on all levels of government to introduce laws and regulations to prevent barn fires and their associated financial and moral costs, insurance companies have started to step in to fill a regulatory void. This presentation will provide an overview of barn fire prevention requirements and explore the advantages and disadvantages of addressing existing regulatory gaps through private governance.

Jeannette Tramhel, Organization of American States