Federal Government Invests Almost $200,000 for the Environment in New Brunswick

"This government is committed to preserving and protecting the environment," said Mr. Allen. "We recognize farmers as important stewards of our environment and are pleased to assist farmers to do so."

The Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre will study how Environmental Farm Plans (EFP) can be used as a management tool to help New Brunswick farmers enhance and protect the environment. EFPs allow producers to select from a suite of recommended beneficial management practices to help improve the environment.

These management practices will be evaluated to determine if they can also achieve the environmental objectives of EG&S. EG&S are benefits derived from natural resources, such as clean water and air, and enhanced biodiversity. For example, when farmers widen the buffer zone between their farmland and a watercourse beyond the legislated width, they not only meet their environmental farm plan objectives, but encourage the development of wetlands and a natural ecosystem.

"We are very pleased to be working on this EG&S pilot project," said Jean-Louis Daigle, the Centre's executive director. "Identifying additional ecological goods and services may lead to a wider acceptance and use of EFPs on farms."

The study will contribute to the federal and provincial governments' goal of testing and evaluating innovative policy options that will enable farmers to deliver measurable environmental results.

BACKGROUNDER

Evaluation of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) as a Potential Delivery Tool for an EG&S Program in New Brunswick

What are Ecological Goods and Services?

Ecological Goods and Services (EG&S) are the positive environmental benefits that Canadians derive from healthy ecosystems, including clean water and air, and enhanced biodiversity. Agriculture is both a beneficiary and a provider of EG&S. For example, farming's viability depends on ecosystem processes like soil renewal, climate regulation, and precipitation. At the same time, well-managed agricultural lands can provide benefits to society as a whole, such as the protection of wildlife habitat and biodiversity, preservation of scenic views, and purification of air and water through natural processes.

What activities will be undertaken as part of this pilot project?

This EG&S pilot project in New Brunswick is one of eight federally funded studies across Canada. The main objective of this study by the Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre in Saint-Andre, N.B. is to evaluate the current environmental farm planning process as a potential delivery tool for an Ecological Goods and Services program.

An environmental farm plan (EFP) is a voluntary and confidential process that provides farmers with better tools to manage their operations in an environmentally responsible manner. The plans were introduced in the province in 1996.

As part of the planning process, farmers participate in a workshop where they receive technical assistance and guidance to perform an environmental assessment of their farm operation and develop an action plan to address identified risks. Producers with a completed and reviewed EFP can apply for assistance to implement the beneficial management practices designed to help remedy environmental risks identified in the plan.

The EG&S pilot study, which will run until March 2009, will help identify any gaps in the EFP where an ecological good or service could be incorporated to the benefit of the farm operator and the environment. It will help farmers to achieve positive environmental outcomes such as cleaner water, soil renewal and protection of wildlife habitat that will benefit all Canadians.

How do governments support EG&S related activities?

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) recognizes the contributions of farmers and rural landowners in protecting and enhancing the environment. The Government of Canada funds a number of programs and initiatives that provide assistance to farmers for EG&S activities.

This EG&S pilot project, along with the others across the country, will assist in measuring the cost-effectiveness, environmental effectiveness and feasibility of various approaches to EG&S. They will aid in the development, evaluation and improvement of EG&S policy.

AAFC is working with provincial and territorial governments to develop a framework for policies that are good for agriculture and that provide environmental benefits for all Canadians. Key elements of this work include research and pilot projects supported through AAFC's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program.

Supporting EG&S-related activities also involves focussing on environmental objectives that are based on recognized scientific knowledge, that take regional issues and perspectives as well as societal concerns into account.

In March 2007, the Prime Minister of Canada announced a $225 million investment in a national campaign to acquire and preserve ecologically sensitive land. Recognized conservation groups will be identified to work towards this common goal. In addition, tax exemptions announced during Budget 2006 for donations of ecologically sensitive lands provide further incentives for Canadians to help preserve our environment.

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