North Carolina Pork Producers - Environmental Management Systems

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North Carolina Pork Producers - Environmental
Management Systems

• Jamie Ragan
• N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and
  Environmental Assistance (DPPEA)

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N.C. Pork Producers EMS History

• In 2000, Smithfield Foods and Premium Standard
  entered into voluntary agreements to implement
  third party certified ISO 14001 system on
  company- owned farms

• DPPEA and NCCES offer to provide technical
  assistance for EMS implementation to pork
  producers not covered by voluntary agreement

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DPPEA receives 2001 EPA-Office of Water grant

• Assessed usefulness of EMS on swine operation
• Selected seven farms
• Implemented and evaluated EMS
• Created an online tool
• blank template with examples for producers to
  create their own operation-specific EMS
• http//www.p2pays.org/porktool/

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The onlinePorktool

• Step-by-step EMS explanation and how it applies
  to operation
• Producer/technical service providers answers
  specific questions about operation
• Addresses all 17 elements in accordance with ISO
  14001 standard
• Producer/technical service providers creates EMS
  online with minimal previous knowledge of ISO
  14001 standard

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Aspect/Impact Manager

• AIM tool provides
• Complete listing of
• all farm activities with potential for
  environmental interaction
• all the farms most significant environmental
  aspects and impacts ranked from highest to lowest
  from selected criteria
• Virtual guide for what improvement goals to set
  to meet necessary improvements
• http//xapps.enr.state.nc/us/survey/index.jsp

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EMS for Pork Producers Workshop

• DPPEA hosted pork producers workshop to discuss
  pilot farms EMS November 2003
• Farmers spoke candidly about their EMS successes
  and other general thoughts
• Farmers spoke about EMSs relativity to their
  operations daily functions
  

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Farmers Opinion of EMS

• In my operation I had done all that was possible
  to identify environmental issues. However, with
  an operation my size this was not enough.
  Invariably I found myself behind the problem
  rather than in front of it. Although the EMS has
  not instantaneously corrected all of my problems,
  it has given me the vision needed to address
  environmental impacts related to my farm. Within
  the year I feel confident that my overall
  operation will be dramatically enhanced by the
  implementation of EMS.
• Chuck Stokes, Little Creek Hog Farm Inc.

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Will an EMS reduce compliance issues?

• EPA-Office of Enforcement and Compliance
  Assistance (OECA) awards DPPEA new grant
• Goal of grant
• evaluate effectiveness of EMS as compliance
  assistance tool
• reduce or eliminate compliance issues
• enlighten producer to all his environmental
  impacts

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EMS for Pork Producers Grant

• North Carolina independent/contract pork
  producers eligible
• Selection based on
• Diversity
• Environmental impact
• Location
• Compliance history
• Need for EMS
• Project understanding
• Commitment
• Openness to initiative ideas

• Six new participants
• Received recommendations from local technical
  assistance staff
• Review committee
• DPPEA
• NCSU
• DSWC

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EMS Pork Grant

• Grant recipients will receive
• Coaches to aid in EMS development and
  implementation
• Online tool access and assistance applying them
• Training
• Networking opportunities
• Technical assistance

• Grant recipients will gain
• A completed EMS
• Improved organizational skills
• Increased understanding of their environmental
  impacts
• Better knowledge of EMS

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Does EMS help reduce compliance issues?

• Upon completion of EMS, predetermined measures
  will be evaluated to examine effectiveness of EMS
  at reducing compliance issues
• Examples of measurements
• Reduced NOVs, NODs
• Enhanced operational organization
• Better management of required testing (soils,
  lagoon waste, etc)
• Improved record-keeping (mortality, rainfall,
  pumping, etc.)

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DPPEAs Goals

• Evaluate if EMS can improve compliance
• Strive for agricultural community awareness of
  EMS as non-technology-based tool capable of
  implementation on all farming operations
• Provide EMS technical assistance to agricultural
  community

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Contact Information

• Jamie Ragan
• N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and
  Environmental Assistance
• http//www.p2pays.org
• 1639 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-1639
• [phone]
• jamie.ragan_at_ncmail.net
• PORKTOOL ADDRESS
• http//www.p2pays.org/porktool/
• AIM TOOL ADDRESS
• http//xapps.enr.state.nc/us/survey/index.jsp