The Manitoba government in partnership with the federal government is launching an online Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) platform, an Oct. 11 news release said.
“Manitoba’s new online Environmental Farm Plan allows producers greater access to resources, so they can prioritize best management practices that make the greatest impact on their farm,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, said in the release.
The federal and provincial governments invested $990,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in a three-year contribution agreement with Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) to develop the online EFP platform in 2020, the release said.
The EFP is a voluntary, confidential self-assessment of a producer’s farm, the release noted. The purpose of the EFP is to assess the features and management practices of a farm to develop an action plan to mitigate identified risks.
“The EFP is a valuable and proactive risk management tool. It includes a strong educational component that will continue to provide positive environmental outcomes while enabling the province to meet its goals for enhancing public trust in the agricultural sector,” Derek Johnson, provincial agriculture minister, said in the release.
The new online version of the EFP is modern, efficient, and easy for producers to use and is designed with leading-edge cybersecurity and privacy policies to ensure data is always protected. Online tutorials are available to guide producers through the process. The system has updated and streamlined content and several features that allow producers to customize EFP workbooks to specific farm operations. Once a workbook is complete, producers can submit it for third-party review by KAP reviewers.
The online platform integrates national and international sustainable sourcing standards that will allow producers to address market requirements for specific commodity groups, the release noted. A completed EFP is required for farms participating in most agri-environmental cost-shared programming, which directly supports initiatives of the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan by enhancing the resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector.
More information on the EFP can be found at www.ManitobaEFP.ca.
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