Keystone Agricultural Producers' (KAP) Environment and Land Use Committee has agreed to explore a federal proposal to create a national Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program.

An Environmental Farm Plan helps producers identify environmental risks on their farms. In Manitoba, the program is jointly delivered by the province and KAP.

KAP General Manager James Battershill talks about the need for a national standard.

"There's a recognition that while provincial flexibility is important to the program, if we want to use EFP as a more comprehensive tool to give suppliers and consumers assurance that consumers are taking precautions against environmental damages, there does need to be a degree of national standardization," he said.

KAP says a national Environmental Farm Plan would help the Canadian agriculture industry meet the growing demand for verification of environmental performance from both supply chains and the public.