Overhwelming Uptake of Environmental Farm Plans by Ontario's Farmers
Guelph, Ontario, March 14, 2006
The Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition (OFEC) is very pleased with the overwhelming uptake of the Environmental Farm Plan program by the farmers of Ontario. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), a farm organization and member of OFEC, delivers the EFP program and the associated provincial and federal cost-share programs. At the moment they are typically processing 125 cost-share applications per week. Claims for completed projects are coming in at the rate of about 50 projects per week.
"Ontario's farmers created the Environmental Farm Plan program originally in 1992. The program has evolved with the times, and we are very proud that over 30,000 Ontario farmers have voluntarily participated in the program, committing time and money to effective stewardship projects, while learning about environmental protection on their farms," stated OFEC Steering Committee Member and AGCare Chair, Brian Besley.
Since the most recent edition of the EFP was launched in April of 2005, over 4,000 farmers have participated in EFP workshops. More than half of the participants are completing an EFP for the first time. Nearly 3,000 individual projects have been approved and nearly $40,000,000 of federal and provincial funds allocated toward on-farm environmental improvements, not including the farmers' own contribution, which ranges from 10 - 70% of the total project costs, depending on the project.
"The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program allows farmers to assess the environmental benefits and risks of their individual farm operations," stated Keith Black, President of OSCIA. "The end result is an action plan that seeks to enhance the environmental benefits and minimize the risks on their farm."
OFEC is a coalition of farm organizations, led by a steering committee made up of the chairs of AGCare, the Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario (CFFO), the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC), and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).
EFP funding is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs under the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF), an agreement among federal, provincial and territorial governments to make Canada's agricultural sector a world leader in environmentally sustainable production.
Contacts:
Jackie Fraser, Executive Director, AGCare
519-837-1326, jfraser@agcare.org