Making it Easier to Get Back to Farming with Right to Repair Policy

By Will Holowaychuk
Policy Analyst, Alberta Canola

Farm equipment has become more advanced with every passing year. From artificial intelligence to variable rate technology, investments in these innovations promise efficiency, but often with fewer options for farmers to diagnose and repair their own equipment. Farmers used to be able to simply review the index and service checklist in the operator’s manual, but now there is more control by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and a greater reliance on diagnostics software from a certified technician. This has led to downtime and added cost during critical production windows as farmers lose their ability to get their owned and operated farm equipment up and running after a breakdown.

The concept of Right to Repair empowers farmers with the tools and information they need to fix their equipment quickly, easing the burden of breakdowns and keeping operations running smoothly.

KEY BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Faster repairs: Farmers or independent mechanics can diagnose fault codes and access repair information without waiting on an OEM technician.

• Lower costs: Reduces expenses tied to service calls and waiting on travel from OEM providers to your farm.

• Less downtime: Gets equipment back in action faster.

• Workforce relief: Reduces the burden felt on farms from technical and mechanical labour shortages currently plaguing the agricultural sector.

“Reducing downtime is critical. Equipment breakdowns happen on every farm. There is nothing more frustrating than having good weather and harvest grinding to a halt waiting for a technician to reset a fault code on a combine or the grain cart tractor. Having affordable diagnostic tools and information means we can get a head start and keep moving.”

ROGER CHEVRAUX, CHAIR OF THE GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, ALBERTA CANOLA

THE CORE PRINCIPLES OF IMPLEMENTING THE RIGHT TO REPAIR ARE:

Fair pricing and accessibility for parts, diagnostics software and tools,
At-cost access to repair manuals, and
Consequences for non-compliance by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and farm implement dealers.

The right-to-repair is focused on reducing downtime by increasing options for equipment operators to diagnose and fix their equipment.

THE PATH FORWARD

Progress has been made. Amendments to the Copyright Act in late 2024 cleared the way for repairability and interoperability. The next step is for provincial governments to strengthen their legislation. Updating Alberta’s Farm Implement & Dealership Act to include Right to Repair measures would ensure farmers are protected and have real options.

Alberta Canola is working to bring awareness to the government on the impacts right-to-repair can have on your farm. Additional industry and public support is welcome to support farmers and the agricultural sector by pushing the government to implement right-to-repair changes.

The goal is to reduce equipment downtime, ensuring farmers can return to the field quickly and at a reasonable cost, while being able to focus on what matters most: farming.