BRUDENELL, P.E.I. – A committee of senior provincial agriculture officials has been set up to investigate the potential benefits of a Manitoba-inspired scheme to compensate farmers for environmental stewardship.
“We were looking at getting this going as a national discussion and I think the decision by ministers last week accomplishes that,” said Ian Wishart, Keystone Agricultural Producers vice-president and one of the originators of the Alternate Land Use Services idea, or ALUS.
Last week, he travelled to Prince Edward Island to make a pitch for support as federal and provincial agriculture ministers met Sept. 21-22.
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Ministers responded by creating a deputy ministers’ committee chaired by Barry Todd of Manitoba and John MacQuarrie of P.E.I.
More discussions ahead
The final News release
news from the ministers’ meeting does not make clear what will happen next, other than that officials “were directed to continue with public policy discussions on environmental objectives as outlined in the APF (agricultural policy framework).”
Wishart said the committee will assess whether ALUS proposals can be used to meet public policy objectives.
“I don’t expect this will result in a decision that supporting ALUS is now national policy, but I hope this moves us closer to support for pilot projects,” said Wishart.
The concept would provide financial compensation to farmers for their production of environmental goods including decisions that preserve or improve soil and water quality.
Wishart said a pilot project in Manitoba, supported financially by a municipality and the state of Mississippi but not yet by the Manitoba government, could be launched by year’s end. Saskatchewan, Ontario and P.E.I. also are considering pilot projects.
He said financial incentives would help farmers make the right environmental choices.
“I think it actually would ramp up conservation efforts because right now they are in decline,” Wishart said.
“Farmers want to do the right thing but in many cases, that is not happening because the priority is economic survival. This could help both the environment and income.”
