PRODUCER COUNCIL TO DELIVER ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN (EFP) PROGRAM

The signing of a new tri-partite agreement has enabled the Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification Boards Inc. (PCAB) to commence delivery of the Canada-Saskatchewan EFP Program.

As a major component of the Agricultural Policy Framework, Environmental Farm Planning is a voluntary and confidential process through which producers assess environmental risk and benefits associated with their farm and develop a plan to mitigate that risk.

Producers with reviewed EFPs will be eligible to access technical and financial support to assist in the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMPs) identified in their plan. By implementing BMPs, producers can enhance their operation's environmental sustainability.

Producers who choose to participate in the Canada-Saskatchewan EFP Program will attend planning workshops that are set to begin this month, as a result of the agreement between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food and PCAB. At the workshops, PCAB facilitators will assist and instruct producers on how to complete a risk assessment of their operation, and subsequently develop a plan to address any identified risks.

In preparing for its role as the delivery agent for the program, PCAB has already contracted 11 trained facilitators and held pilot workshops in communities across Saskatchewan.

"This announcement marks a significant milestone for the EFP program in Saskatchewan," Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Andy Mitchell said. "By working together, I believe that governments and industry have created a program that is custom-made for Saskatchewan producers."

"Saskatchewan producers now have the opportunity to continue their tradition of environmental stewardship by completing an EFP," Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman said. "I encourage all producers to do just that."

For details on workshops in their area, producers are encouraged to contact PCAB's EFP Program Coordinator at (306) 955-5477, or visit www.saskpcab.com.

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For More Information, Contact:

Scott Brown Agriculture and Food Regina Phone: (306)787-4031	Media Relations AAFC Ottawa Phone: (613)759-7972
Shelanne Wiles Longley PCAB Saskatoon Phone: (306)955-5477