1.4 Quality Systems and Sustainability
The implications of QA/EMS for sustainable agriculture/sustainable land management are as follows:
- Quality systems that extend back inside the farm/orchard gate will increasingly be a necessary part of doing business in the international market place and are therefore a necessary minimum requirement for sustainability.
- On-farm QA/EMS have the potential to contribute to the achievement of sustainable agriculture/sustainable land management while minimising the regulatory burden on farmers/growers.
- Environmental management systems have the potential to provide regional and district councils with assurances about the achievement of environmental outcomes sought.
- To date, the impact of QA/EMS on sustainable agriculture/sustainable land management is unclear. The case studies indicate that such schemes are not yet achieving their potential in this area. This is because current schemes are largely driven by market requirements. Their main concerns are product quality and animal welfare, and in order to gain both producer and consumer acceptance, the schemes have been developed as single purpose schemes that are simple, with clear, tangible, demonstrable benefits. Such schemes can make a contribution to sustainable agriculture/sustainable land management outcomes, particularly in the areas of profitability, animal welfare, and food and fibre safety. Most of the case study schemes did not address the effect of production practices on natural resources, other than to require that producers "met their statutory obligations"; for example under the RMA.
- A further limitation of QA/EMS in achieving sustainable agriculture/sustainable land management outcomes is the largely voluntary nature of such schemes. Some sectors do not have QA/EMS, and within sectors that do have schemes, some farmers/growers have chosen not to join the scheme.
- Quality Assurance/EMS are aligned to production systems and therefore do not deal adequately with public goods, e.g, the enhancement of biodiversity.
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