Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1148

A pilot implementation study designed to help fine tune a proposed environmental management systems standard for Canadian hog operations has reached the halfway point.

The development of an environmental management systems standard for swine operations is being overseen by the Canadian Standards Association.

The draft standard outlines the management framework hog operations should follow to ensure their environmental impacts are adequately managed.

CSA Project Manager for Environment Kelly Deeton says 15 hog operations are attempting to implement the draft standard to test its affordability, operational feasibility and auditability.

"One big thing is they've got to determine what regulations they have to adhere to in operating their farms on a daily basis and put together a monitoring plan to make sure that they're in compliance as best they can be.

They've also got to identify all of the activities that occur within their operations that might have an adverse impact on the environment.

Once they identify those activities, they've got to put together a plant to mitigate the adverse effects.

We're going to have a workshop with the producers themselves, some provincial support people, consultants, our technical committee.

The purpose of this workshop will be to review audit results because we will have third party auditors coming into the farms and use these lessons learned to improve the standards before they're finalized and introduced into the market place.

We want them to be realistic and user friendly for the producers."

Deeton says the implementation pilot project involves various types and sizes of swine operations across Canada.

The study began October 1st and is scheduled to conclude about the end of March.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.