The Challenge of Reconciling Water and Agricultural Policies —The Role of Public Hearings - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 387

policies. Therefore a reform of the FISI programme, as suggested by the BAPE
Commission, would contribute greatly to enhancing the productivity of agri-
environmental investments and make farm support measures more effective vehicles for
meeting the goal of sustainability. Such reform could be expected as part of a second set
of measures to be elaborated in the future.
The introduction of new environmental cross-compliance measures
In its policy directions for the sustainable development of hog production, the Québec
government has defined environmental cross-compliance as: i) an economic instrument to
make government financial support conditional on the respect of environmental criteria in
order to influence farmers' practices; and ii ) a public administration tool to ensure
consistency in government policies, sound management of government spending, and
compliance with environmental regulations. Moreover, the government envisages the
progressive introduction of environmental cross-compliance and the implementation, by
2010, of a comprehensive cross-compliance policy that makes all government farm
support conditional on full compliance with all environmental legislation pertaining to the
agricultural sector (Provençal, 2005). As we have seen, the first cross-compliance
measures implemented had to do with the phosphorus balance report, an RROA
requirement. But other cross-compliance mechanisms can be expected for farm support
programmes in the years ahead. These measures are a necessary step toward restoring
public confidence in the capacity of the farming sector to produce without damaging the
environment.
Gradually introduction of integrated watershed-based management
Several watershed-based organisations have been established to implement this
territorial approach, which requires extensive cooperation on the part of all water
management stakeholders. Under this approach, objectives identified in the watershed
management plan ( Plan directeur de l'eau ) must be taken into account before decisions
affecting land use or water resources are taken. For example, regional agricultural
planning would have to factor in targets for reducing phosphorus inputs from diffuse
sources to ensure that the carrying capacity of the territory is not exceeded or threatened
by new development projects. Implementation of sustainable watershed-based
management will provide systematic protection of water bodies, wetlands and
ecosystems; improve the health of watercourses, lakes and associated ecosystems; and
progressively restore, or preserve, uses like swimming, fishing and other recreational
activities.
Conclusion: A consultation process to help build solutions
As this review of current Québec water and agricultural policies has shown,
provincial government interventions have evolved significantly in recent years. Several
measures have considerably reinforced frameworks for water resource protection,
accelerated clean-up efforts and fostered integration of the three dimensions of
sustainability into agricultural development planning. The two public consultations led by
BAPE —the first on water management, the second on sustainable hog farming—laid the
groundwork for these ongoing policy transformations. Indeed, the two processes have
been fundamental to fostering a comprehensive shared vision among stakeholders and to
building consensus around solutions.