Voluntary Environmental Management System Standard Offers Several Advantages

CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 1302. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.
calendar icon 18 July 2003
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Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork

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

Farm-Scape, Episode 1302

The Canadian Standards Association says swine producers will gain several important advantages through the implementation of a new voluntary environmental management systems standard.

The Environmental Management Systems Standard is being developed by the Canadian Standards Association with direction from a technical committee consisting of about 30 industry stakeholders, academics and government representatives.

The draft standard was tested through an implementation pilot study conducted this spring and several revisions are now being completed.

CSA Project Manager Environment Kelly Deeton says the document addresses the full gambit of environmental management within swine production.

"It's very detailed but it is applicable to both large and small operations.

It has so many areas, everything from determining legal compliance issues and how they'll be addressed to setting environmental targets and objectives, setting environmental plans such as manure management plans, odor and dust control, mortalities management, how you're performing against your objectives.

There's a whole bunch of things. Benefits of an operation implementing the standard would be, the first thing obvious is the improved environmental performance, hopefully a reduction of adverse impacts to the environment.

The second thing very important is on an economic side. The operation would hopefully have improved efficiencies through reduced resource use and waste generation.

Finally from a trade perspective, hopefully there'll be improvement of market access and competitiveness by promoting environmentally friendly products".

The technical committee will complete its final review of the document in September then it will be turned over to the CSA editing and production group for final editing.

Deeton says publication is set for December at which time the standard will be ready for voluntary implementation.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
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