Environmental Stewardship
Producers are stewards of the land and the environment and make a critical contribution to managing Australia's natural resources. Consumers and the community are increasingly seeking verification regarding the environmental credentials and sustainability of the produce they buy.
To address this need MLA is working to establish a web-based self-assessment system to assess, benchmark and record current industry environmental practices and changes over time. This is a voluntary program that will be available to producers who want to actively demonstrate the environmentally responsible nature of their livestock production systems.
Module development
The following objectives are driving the development of the AgriSure Environmental Stewardship Module:
- Demonstrate good on-farm environmental practices being conducted regionally by landholders.
- Implement an accreditation framework to demonstrate to markets and external stakeholders the credentials of the industry.
- Show that landholders make an important contribution to the environmental management of the Australian natural resources base.
- Develop a basis for the monitoring, improvement and adoption of best management practice.
- Seek endorsement of environmental stewardship systems by industry groups, other stakeholders and government.
The module framework will include a mechanism for the independent auditing of environmental performance to enable producer accreditation and to ensure the credibility of the program. Working partnerships are expected with regional groups, agencies and scientists, to define the environmental assets and threats, set benchmarks and targets for improvement and to develop management strategies to achieve these targets.
While a coordinated national approach to the development of the module is considered essential, many of the environmental indicators and outcomes must be set at the regional and farm level.
Module structure
The AgriSure Environmental Stewardship Module will work across 5 key areas of livestock production:
- Land use and management
- Biodiversity management
- Soil and water management
- Feral animal and weed management
- Greenhouse gas and energy management
More information
Linda Hygate
Phone: 07 3630 5232
Email: lhygate@mla.com.au
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