On October 11, 2022, Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba’s Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced they would get a new online platform for the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). According to Bibeau, “Manitoba’s new online Environmental Farm Plan offers producers more access to tools, so they can prioritize the best management techniques that have the most effect on their farm.” A producer’s farm can be evaluated in an anonymous, independent fashion through the platform. The goal is to identify potential farm threats and devise a strategy to deal with them. Johnson said that the program’s focus on education is one of its most important parts, and that it also helps the province reach its goal of increasing public trust in the agricultural industry. Before a farm can join most cost-shared agri-environmental programs, it has to send in a completed EFP. As Johnson pointed out, adopting an EFP will allow farmers in Manitoba to increase the attractiveness of their products to environmentally concerned customers by enhancing the quality of the air, water, and soil they work with. In 2020, Canada and Manitoba gave $990,000 to Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) as part of a three- to four-year agreement called the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). This money was used to build the online EFP platform. The Manitoba Beef Producers Association has also approved the new regulations. Taking the Voluntary Environmental Farm Plan online may make it more accessible to cattle producers, who already use it in large numbers.  

What changes did they make for this version compared to the previous release?

The EFP’s new online version is cutting-edge regarding cybersecurity and privacy standards, making it safe and simple for producers to use at all times. Producers can find online courses to help them through the process. Several elements in the system, including updated and streamlined information, make it possible for farmers to tailor EFP workbooks to their unique methods of operation. After finishing a workbook, manufacturers can hand it to KAP reviewers for a second opinion. The online platform helps manufacturers meet the demands of individual commodity markets by incorporating national and international sustainable sourcing guidelines. According to Johnson, the integration improves the Manitoba EFP and makes farming easier.  

Is the latest version more user friendly?

The producers will work with an interface that is more accessible, user-friendly, and secure, which will solve some issues they have had in the past. The fresh approach will make it easier for creators to submit their work for evaluation, as well as provide increased accessibility, streamlined and flexible information, and a straightforward review procedure. Besides this, the new platform ought to make the procedure for EFP renewals more streamlined. KAP said that the platform will let manufacturers put together different reports based on several sustainability criteria.