Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)

SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

What is an EFP?

An Environmental Farm Plan is a voluntary, confidential and pro-active tool which can help producers to assess the environmental strengths and potential environmental risks in their farm operations. As part of the EFP producers develop their own action plans to address those strengths and risks and improve the environment.

The EFP Program encourages the adoption of beneficial management practices that enhance soil, water and air quality, as well as biodiversity, all of which contribute to the sustainability of agriculture.

The Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick is delivering the EFP program in New Brunswick and encourages every producer to develop an EFP. The EFP Program is funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal, provincial and territorial agreement on agriculture and agri-food policy.

Start your online efp now

Please click below to start working on your Online EFP now.
Benefits of Online EFP include:

Access to historical data
Storage and protection of data (Certificate, Action Plan, Aerial maps and soil maps)
Easy access from the comfort of home

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the objective of EFPs?
The objective of EFPs is to help producers develop a practical plan for operating their farm in a way that is environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable, and economically viable.
2. Who should do an EFP?
Anyone involved in agricultural operations is encouraged to complete an EFP. An EFP can benefit operations of any size or commodity. These include but not limited to: dairy, beef, sheep, poultry and other livestock farms and feedlots; egg, potato, grain, fruit, vegetable and Christmas tree production; nurseries and greenhouse operations; apiaries and maple sugaries.
3. Do I need to be a member to get an EFP?

No, funding is provided to us by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to serve all producers.

4. Why is it important to have an EFP?
There are many reasons to have an EFP:

For your family and workers:

Ensure their health and safety by identifying and addressing environmental risks on the farm.

For your business:

Prepare for the future viability of your business.

A growing number of your customers want to know that their food is being produced in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Reducing environmental risks can reduce the costs of production, increasing your farm’s productivity.

It costs less to prevent environmental problems than to correct them.

With an Environmental Farm Plan, you eligible for federal and provincial funding and technical assistance to help you address risks and/or increase benefits from the environment.

For your industry

Show the public that environment matters in agriculture and that you are actively involved in adopting environmentally sustainable practices.

5. How did the EFP originate?

The EFP process was initiated by the Ontario farm community in the early 1990s. New Brunswick farmers have been participating in environmental farm planning since 1996. The program has been adopted across Canada and is now funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial agreement on agriculture and agri-food policy. The Agricultural Alliance of NB is responsible for delivering the program in New Brunswick.

6. Who will have my information?

Your EFP belongs to you and you will decide who, if anyone, sees it. Developing an EFP is a voluntary, confidential process and several measures are in place to ensure that your plan remains private.

Trained coordinators, employed by the Agricultural Alliance of NB, facilitate workshops and individual sessions to provide assistance to help you complete your plan. They do not keep copies of finished plans.

You are encouraged to have a third-party review of your plan. This step is optional, but necessary to obtain a certificate. To qualify for financial assistance, you must have a certificate and the actions to be implemented must be identified in your plan. In New Brunswick, third party reviews are carried out by the Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick INNOV division (CCNB-INNOV).

The coordinator can forward the plan to CCNB-INNOV for you. Once a technical review is completed by a professional agrologist and validated, the EFP is returned to you with a certificate and action plan summary report. In some cases, the plan may be returned with a letter requesting more information.

This stage of the process usually takes about two weeks.

If you apply for financial assistance under the Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (ESA) component of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the government administrator asks CCNB-INNOV’s EFP coordinator to confirm that you have a valid action plan and that the project is part of that plan. This is the only instance where individual information is provided to government representatives.

When your plan is received at CCNB-INNOV, the information is entered into a database and a client number is assigned to the file. Only two people have access to the password protected database. Copies of your farm information sheet, EFP certificate and action plan are filed only by client number.

CCNB-INNOV may compile anonymous aggregate information to assist agro-environmental program evaluation and development.

7. What is CCNB-INNOV?

CCNB-INNOV is an applied research center with a division specialized in agriculture, bioprocesses, beverages, and environment. This division provides services to the industry to answer applied research questions, to validate concepts, to optimize processes or to develop new products. Manager of this division, Josée Landry, can be reached by email (josee.landry@ccnb.ca) or by phone (506 733-0233). CCNB-INNOV is a division of the College Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).

CCNB-INNOV is the third-party independent reviewer for the environmental farm plans (EFP). Its role is to ensure there are valid analysis and solutions being applied to mitigate environmental risks on New Brunswick farms. The review process is initiated at the discretion of the producers. They are responsible for forwarding their new or updated EFPs to the CCNB-INNOV team for technical review and validation. EFPs can be sent by mail at: 160 Reservoir Street, Grand Falls, NB, E3Y 3W3 or they can soon be completed online.

8. Will regulatory agencies be aware of the contents of my EFP?
No. Your EFP is confidential. The EFP process does not affect whether an operation is complying with regulations. However, in completing the risk assessment, you may become aware of regulations and that may potential impact your operation and may decide to take action. A completed EFP may constitute some measure of “due diligence”, showing that you have assessed your management practices and have identified areas where improvement may be needed.
9. How often should I review my action plan?

The action plan should be reviewed yearly to see what actions you had planned. Any new actions that you decide upon can be added to your action plan (and sent to CCNB if planning to apply for funding). Every five years, you should completely update your evaluation and actions.

10. Is my workbook from 2005 still valid?
Yes, if you received the workbook after February 1, 2005, it is the “2004 Edition”. This is the version still being used. However, if your plan was completed more than five years ago, it should be updated

Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)

What producers have to say…

"I identified issues on my farm that I just hadn’t thought about."

Cedric MacLeod, local valley beef.

"Having an environmental farm plan is important right now, consumers are more educated, and they want to know what you are putting into the production of the fruit."

Nathalie Belliveau, professional agrologist on staff at Verger Belliveau Orchard.

“You can have the prettiest buildings and the newest equipment but really when it comes down to it, all you really have is your land. Soil is a precious resource that requires good stewardship.”

Ed Kavanaugh, Edward Kavanaugh & Sons

“We demonstrate to our neighbors and people downstream of the river, according to our actions, that we protect and respect the environment. We are proactive and value high quality water. We also demonstrate that we have a plan to accomplish our tasks. ”

Philippe Morin, Morin et Fils Farm

“It allows you to see where you are, where you might want to be and where you should be.”

Ken Reicker, Sussex Valley Vegetable Farms Inc.

"I think it is a good tool in managing the farm, every spring you can open the plan and refer back and see what you have done and bring it up to date. I know that the plan saved us considerable time."

Dean Acton, Partners of Savannah Holdings Ltd.

Contact Us

EFP coordinators are available to facilitate workshops and help you prepare your plan.

For more information on EFPs and workshops in your area, please contact:

Likhita Potluri

Likhita Potluri

EFP Coordinator

(506) 259-0020
efp-pfe@fermenbfarm.ca

John Russell

John Russell

EFP Facilitator

(506) 381-2887
john@fermenbfarm.ca

Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick

Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick