Canadian farms forecast to be eco-friendly by 2005
Date: 07-Dec-01
Country: CANADA
"It is my goal to have an environmental farm plan at each Canadian farm by 2005," the minister told reporters in Quebec City after a speech before the Quebec Farmers Union.
The minister had just participated in a ceremony to unveil an new voluntary environmental certificate to be applied at some 70 Quebec farms. The certificate, which follows International Standard Organization (ISO) guidelines, endorses tough environmental rules regarding recycling, pesticides and food safety.
Vanclief said that such environmental certificates could not be imposed by government on Canadian farmers, but said that pressure from the market and peers in the agriculture sector would likely do the job anyway.
"I think that peer pressure will have an effect down the road," the minister told a news conference.
Canadian farmers have been under pressure from green lobby groups to improve environmental standards, as public concerns over food safety and genetically modified foods increase.