At the S.S.C.A Annual Conference in Regina in February, some of you may have heard a speaker talking about Ontario's experience with setting up an EFP (Environmental Farm Plan).
When I first heard of this subject I thought "Oh no! Not more government regulations." Well it turned out it's not as much government dictated or as many regulations as you might think. Farm leaders in Ontario realized that a proactive approach was necessary and therefore an agenda was developed by farm organizations to discuss how they as an industry would address environmental concerns. Participation in Ontario's EFP program is voluntary. The spring of 1993 marked the first EFP workshops and by the fall of 1996, over 7500 farms had already enrolled. To date there are over 20,000 farms enrolled in the program, which represents half of the farm acreage in Ontario.
The goal of Ontario's EFP is to set in motion a process which will encourage every farmer to conduct farming activities in a manner which respects the environment. The EFP agenda defines Best Management Practices as well as providing on-farm risk assessment, and encouraging the development of action plans.
The 23 topics identified in Ontario's EFP are: Soil and Site Evaluation; Water Wells; Pesticide Storage and Handling; Fertilizer Storage and Handling; Storage of Petroleum Products; Disposal of Farm Wastes; Treatment of Household Wastewater; Storage of Agricultural Waste; Livestock Yards; Silage Storage; Milking Centre Wash Water; Noise and Odour; Water Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Soil Management; Nutrient Management in Growing Crops; Manure Use and Management; Horticultural Production; Field Crop Management; Pest Management; Stream, Ditch and Floodplain Management; Wetlands and Wildlife Ponds; and Woodlands and Wildlife.
The goal of the EFP is to be voluntary and self-directed while encompassing all farming philosophies; relevant to all communities; provide farmer-to-farmer delivery; provide risk reduction; have financial incentives; and give awards/recognition for innovation. Although Ontario recognizes that complete compliance may take years, it is important that the development of farm plans begin as soon as possible.
The process starts with a workshop involving 12-20 farmers. Several weeks later they return to a second workshop, with their individual EFP action plans. These are then reviewed by a panel of local farmers. Review by a panel of local farmers, who are in charge of EFP delivery, is more effective and less threatening to farmers thus encouraging higher participation. Government has found that environmental self-assessment by business in any industry is effective. The EFP is a due diligence defense, in case something does go wrong.
The federal government has proposed that all farms complete an EFP within the next 5 years. There isn't much doubt that it is coming, and therefore, we should be aware of the issues we are likely to face. Alberta has already started a pilot project to get their farmers on the road to an EFP. Some of the benefits Alberta farmers see in completing an EFP are; increased awareness of risk on the farm; positive reinforcement for doing things right; and providing a plan to reduce risks. They also see this as giving them an increased understanding of improvement options, as well as providing a safe venue to understand legislation requirements.
The implementation of EFP has been recognized across Canada as being beneficial to both the environment and the farming industry. Therefore, it is the farmers who recognize that this environmental farm plan is in their best interests.