Egg Farmers of Alberta Launches Environmental Program

February 26, 2014 – Egg Farmers of Alberta (EFA) has announced the launch of a new environmental program, the first of its kind for egg farmers in Canada.  

The Producer Environmental Egg Program (PEEP) is intended to help egg farmers better identify their impacts on the environment and facilitate the use of best practices.  This will help to ensure that resources are being managed in a sustainable manner and that the Alberta egg industry continues to be recognized as a source of fresh, high-quality local food, which is produced in an environmentally responsible manner.

Egg farmers are already good stewards of the land, who are committed to environmental protection and sustainable development.  PEEP will build upon this foundation by providing information about impacts of on-farm activities and helping to establish goals for improvement.  The PEEP assessment is focused on key impact areas such as energy use, water consumption and manure management, which helps farmers identify and address environmental risks and opportunities, to improve their carbon footprint.

“Consumers, retailers and other stakeholders want to know that eggs are fresh and safe, and also produced in a sustainable fashion,” said Jenna Griffin, EFA’s Industry Development Officer.  “Given the egg industry has existing on-farm food safety and animal care programs, the development and delivery of an environmental program is a natural point of expansion.  PEEP will enable EFA to communicate the positive efforts being taken by farmers, and champion the cause when industry needs to take the lead on piloting solutions.”

Portions of PEEP have been derived from the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP), which is a more extensive program available to all agricultural producers across Alberta.  EFA believes that the key to effective environmental management is through a systematic approach to planning, controlling, measuring and improving environmental performance.  EFA will be able to track industry-wide trends and significant changes in egg farming practices over time, using a pioneering attitude to contribute to the long-term sustainability of Alberta’s egg industry.