What is an EMS and why is it something growers should be thinking about?

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What is an EMS and why is it something growers should be thinking about?

EMS stands for Environmental Management System. In a nutshell, it’s a system that provides a business with a structured process to improve its environmental performance.

EMS stands for Environmental Management System. In a nutshell, it’s a system that provides a business with a structured process to improve its environmental performance.

The future of horticulture in New Zealand is closely linked to a healthy environment and growers working with the environment in a responsible and sustainable way. The industry is also growing and, at the same time, customer, consumer and community interest in environmental issues has heightened.

While it is accepted that New Zealand growers traditionally manage their growing operations sustainability, it is not always formalised and this can lead to some environmental issues being overlooked.

An EMS is used to identify all the environmental risks and then systematically work to address them through on-the-ground action. Growers should think of it as a useful plan to recognise their environmental efforts and a framework that records their objectives and actions. It is also used to ensure growers are meeting legal obligations and compliance requirements.

Another benefit of having an EMS is that it enhances a businesses reputation and can be an additional way to have environmental stewardship recognised in the marketplace. Businesses in other industries are also finding that establishing an EMS and thinking about their processes and inputs can lead to improvements that reduce costs.

While there are off-the-shelf templates and guidelines, the actual impacts will vary for each grower, region and type of operation. Therefore, while the overall EMS format is similar, it works best when growers develop their own strategies that are relevant to them. They can then integrate the actions into the daily operations in a way that is meaningful.

The first step in developing an EMS is identifying your environmental risks and the mitigations that are already in place. The EMS will then support the overall management of key areas from action plans and recording key data to effectively dealing with nutrient inputs and losses, soil health, soil erosion, sediment control, irrigation and waterway management.

It also encourages growers to go beyond compliance, by making incremental gains and achievements over time.

If that’s not enough, on-farm environmental management is firmly on the radar for regulators across the country and will become mandatory in the future. In Canterbury, any farmer or consent holder is already required to have a Farm Environmental Plan.

NZGAP Logo 2019 CMYKNZGAP offer an Environmental Management System Add-on programme. Their EMS system encompasses a number of elements including guidelines, property maps, the farm environment plan (FEP), environmental risk assessments, guidelines for good and best management practises, compliance criteria, and a grower/third party auditor checklist.

 

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