A Prairie consulting agronomists’ firm warns that Manitoba’s replacement for the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program gives the province a cut of any carbon credits accrued through the farm practices it funds.
The province on Sept. 3 made application forms available for the Environmental Farm Action Program (EFAP) and Manitoba Sustainable Agriculture Practices Program (MSAPP), both part of its non-business risk management suite of programs under the federal/provincial Growing Forward ag policy framework.
EFAP, which requires participants to develop approved EFPs for their individual farms, is meant to support farmers in taking on projects to reduce identified environmental risks and improve the management of farmland, water and air quality, soil productivity and habitats.
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MSAPP, meanwhile, is to include a beneficial management practices (BMPs) incentive to encourage farmers to put sustainable agriculture practices in place to help reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change.
However, Farmers Edge Precision Consulting, a Prairie-wide group of consulting agronomists with 15 representatives across Manitoba, notes that the “fine print” attached to EFAP and MSAPP gives the government a claim on a portion of any carbon credits attached to the work.
“This is significantly different from the past version of these programs, as the carbon benefit is now signed over to the government indefinitely,” the group said in a statement distributed by one of its agronomists, Brunel Sabourin, who works out of St. Jean Baptiste, about 60 km south of Winnipeg.
“Owned by province”
The statement from Farmers Edge doesn’t quote any specific “fine print.” However, the “Terms and conditions” section of the application form for EFAP and MSAPP requires the farming applicant to agree to the following:
“I/We agree that carbon offset credits (if any) achieved from greenhouse gas reductions and removals through BMPs incented by MSAPP and/or EFAP will be owned by the Province of Manitoba and the applicant(s) in proportion to the original contributions provided for the project by same until the retirement or sale of credits.”
“Reviewing the new EFAP and MSAPP agendas, we can see a variety of environmentally friendly management practices are covered (corresponding) to many of the recognized management practices needed to create carbon credits,” Farmers Edge noted.
“These programs may be perceived as good value for the farmer, but like any contract, their terms and conditions need to be clearly understood before a beneficial business decision can be made.”
To that end, the group suggests that farmers ask a number of questions before signing up for EFAP or MSAPP, such as:
- How long does the province claim the carbon credits?
- If the province owns a share of the carbon credits based on its contribution, so how does the farmer get paid for his or her share?
- Will this contract disqualify farmers from participating in the carbon market once EFAP and MSAPP have ended?
- If you have already sold or committed your carbon credits to someone else, do you still qualify for the programs?
- Can a producer participate in an EFAP and MSAPP category for consecutive years?
“Once full transparency has been achieved, Farmers Edge will evaluate the programs to help determine the best value for the producer,” the company said.
