Environmental Management System for the New Zealand Pork Industry

Plan Assess farm activities and decide which areas need improvement and how these improvements are going to be achieved. Do implement these changes Check Review these changes to make sure you have achieved the desired outcome

It is important to note that the development of the EMS is based on the knowledge of producers in terms of knowing what works and what doesn't on their farm.

One of the key strengths of an EMS is that it builds from systems already in place. Producers will already have plans for managing effluent and the associated environmental effects for example. This EMS will provide a tool to organize these efforts and ensure that producers have a plan for addressing environmental concerns.

This EMS has been designed to be adopted in stages

1. Good Environmental Practices Toolkit - gives producers a number of tools that can assist in good management of the environment.
2. Management of Environmental Effects Workbook - identifies all of the main activities on the farm that have an environmental effect. A series of questions are then asked that allows the producer to get an idea of how well they are managing these activities. This section also provides a guide for determining appropriate buffer distances.
3. EMS Agreement Form - is filled out and signed by the producer stating that they are committed to maintaining current levels of environmental management AND to improve the systems where necessary over a given time period. This agreement can be either kept on-farm or can be countersigned by the relevant council and/or neighbour (although it is not a legally binding contract) for the EMS to have maximum value to the producer.

This EMS has been developed in conjunction with ‘EnviroPork ™ : pork industry guide to managing environmental effects' - see www.pork.co.nz