The Challenge of Reconciling Water and Agricultural Policies —The Role of Public Hearings - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 385

Agri-environmental support for farmers
The Prime-Vert programme offers agri-environmental payments to farmers, notably
to help meet the regulatory requirements. The programme provides financial assistance
for the construction of liquid manure storage structures, the purchase of odour-reduction
equipment (low ramp manure spreaders, roofing for manure storage structures, etc.), agri-
environmental advisory services as well as the development of liquid manure treatment
technology. In more recent years the programme has begun to target non-point source
pollution by providing financial aid to encourage specific management practices such as
soil conservation, windbreaks, winter cover crops and the withdrawal of animals from
watercourses (MAPAQ, 2004). A portion of the programme funding is provided by the
federal government through its strategic agricultural framework. This framework has also
led to the implementation of an agri-environmental support plan at the farm level in
partnership with the provincial department of agriculture ( Plan d'accompagnement en
agroenvironnement ). This plan, which aims to help Québec farmers meet RROA
regulatory requirements and improve their agri-environmental practices, is based upon a
three-step on-farm initiative comprising a diagnosis, an action plan and implementation
of best practices, all under the advice of an agrologist.

Further developments to watch for in the future

Review of the current Farm Income Stabilisation Insurance (FISI) programme
One of the key issues identified by the BAPE commission on the sustainable
development of hog farming relates to the Farm Income Stabilisation Insurance (FISI)
programme. Indeed, the commission report calls for a complete overhaul of the
programme based on the following recommendations:

Replace the current FISI program for hog producers with a general farming income
protection plan that puts a ceiling on the maximum net income protected and applies
to all farmers, regardless of output, type of commodity, or cost of production

Target all agricultural income support programs to family or small farms, i.e., farms
worked by no more than four people

Make agricultural income support programs available to individuals only, even for
people who exercise farming activities through the intermediary of a corporate
entity.

(BAPE, 2003; p. 154, Recommendations 25, 26 & 27)

To fully appreciate the significance and scope of these recommendations, let us take a
closer look at the FISI programme from a sustainable development perspective, especially
its impact on the environment and social equity. Our assessment of Québec farm support
measures (Boutin, 2005) draws on recent OECD works and findings on environmentally
harmful subsidies (OECD, 2003b; Unisféra, 2003; Portugal, 2002), to evaluate their
potential role in fostering environmentally harmful practices. The classification scale
developed to rate these support programmes according to environmental impact is shown
in Figure 2.