Code of Ethics
This Code of Ethics is for your review and comments. Please contact CAFA at info@cafanet.com or 1-877-474-2871 if you require further information or wish to make any comments.
Purpose
Members of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) are obligated to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. Members of CAFA come from a variety of professions, many with their own codes of ethics. Membership in CAFA, however, represents a willingness to adhere to the standards of professional conduct outlined below. When a member’s specific professional discipline’s code of ethics calls for a standard of conduct different from the following, whichever code or guideline is the more stringent or more extensive or demands the higher standard and sensitivity will apply.
Clients
- At the outset of an engagement, the farm advisor will state in writing whose interests he or she is representing during the course of the engagement. Should the need arise to revise the definition of “client” during the engagement, this need will be communicated to and negotiated with all appropriate parties and confirmed in writing.
- Members, their organizations and professional associates will keep client information and the identity of the client confidential and will not disclose it without the written consent of the client.
- CAFA members shall act in a client’s best interests.
Professional Conduct
- Members will not represent their education, training, experience, professional credentials and competence, or areas of skill and expertise in a deceptive or misleading manner.
- Members will act with integrity, diligence and competency.
- When a member refers a client to another party, the member will disclose to the client the nature of any business relationship between them or their organization and whether there will be any referral fee or other fee sharing.
- Members agree not to misrepresent their affiliation with the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors nor to imply that being a member of CAFA implies either credentialing or endorsement by CAFA.
- Members will avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible and will disclose them to all affected parties.
- Members have an obligation to provide a client with all information obtained in the course of conducting their engagement, which is pertinent to the decisions the client is contemplating.
- Members have a duty to keep current in their professional practices through industry imposed professional development and adhere to the continuing education requirements set forth by CAFA.
- Members, in their professional activities, shall act in a manner that reflects positively on all other CAFA members and will treat all persons fairly.
- Members will recognize and respect intellectual property rights including providing specific acknowledgment of the original authorship and source when publishing or publicly representing another person’s work.
- Members will assist other members in their professional development, where possible and appropriate, and support them in complying with this Code of Professional Ethics.
- Members will respect the development and growth of the field of farm business and will take positive steps to promote the field.
