Influence of produce protocols on water use and land management
This project involved Janet Dwyer, Julie Ingram and James Kirwan working with ADAS on a project for the Environment Agency in England and Wales. It examined the potential for producer protocols to deliver benefits for the environment - in particular, enhanced water and soil management on farms. The study analysed a range of 12 protocols covering different product types used by farmers who supply to supermarkets and major food processors, to assess the extent to which these encourage best practice in water and soil conservation in the production of food products, and to determine the potential for further development of these aspects within the protocols.
The study found during interviews with protocol owners’ representatives that suggestions for improvements and the inclusion of new sections were generally welcomed, giving grounds for optimism that protocols can be improved over time in relation to the Environment Agency’s concerns. The project also found that in the longer term, areas of relative weakness in protocols may be addressed by joint support for applied research, working with protocol owners or individual companies.
The study ran for 6 months and reported in February 2006.
