Environmental management systems (EMS) will be the next quality assurance programme for agriculture. The objective is to improve the way you manage any environmental impacts that may occur as a result of your business activities. The process includes:

-  Identifying where the business has an impact on the environment.
-  Developing policies and management practices to address the problems.
-  Gathering feedback from practices and policies.
-  Evaluating the value of practices and policies and updating them on a regular basis.

Why develop an EMS? It may become a prerequisite to doing business in some sectors. It may then provide a competitive advantage for your product in the market.
It is a means of differention which may provide an opportunity for access and a premium. Differentiation needs to be substantial for bulk commodities to justify the cost incurred.

An EMS helps identify opportunity within the business. It may mean adverse environmental consequences of production systems are reduced, or identify opportunities to improve business profitability.

What does it cost? The cost is twofold. The first is the internal cost of time. At least a couple of days should be allowed. Then there is the cost of auditing, which would be $2000 - $4000 annually.  Before you start thinking about an EMS, remember, if you are primarily in mainstream commodities, don’t expect a premium for products from an EMS certified farm.