"Risk management is distiguished from other forms of decision making, like 'political', 'consensus' and 'ad hoc' approaches because of its emphasis on objective and systematic methods. It's importance to agriculture is highlighted by the recent emergence of 'mad cow' and 'foot and monuth' diseases in Europe, as well as ongoing risks like Australia's climate variability and shifts in commodities markets. While risk management is characterised by objective decision making, it also integrates people's experiences and attitudes into an informed common sense approach to managing peril, variability and uncertainty" --Executive summary