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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the purpose of Horticulture for Tomorrow?
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The aim of Horticulture for Tomorrow is to help growers link production targets to their care for the environment as an integral part of their daily business management. It’s about industry being in the driver's seat, managing the development and implementation of environmental management and complementing existing QA systems.
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Who is running Horticulture for Tomorrow and how is it funded?
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The program is supported by the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and the National Landcare Program (NLP) and is managed by Horticulture Australia Limited on behalf of industry, with input and guidance provided by the H4T Industry Leadership Group (ILG) and Technical Steering Committee (TSC). The management of the program also involves growers, technical advisers, industry groups and people working with existing programs such as Freshcare, Enviroveg and EurepGAP.
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What will Horticulture for Tomorrow actually deliver?
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The program is a banner for a number of related projects – the Horticulture for Tomorrow Environmental Assurance Project, the Horticulture for Tomorrow Natural Resource Management Initiative and the Horticulture for Tomorrow Regional Delivery Initiative. Each project has specific deliverables and benefits for growers.
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What is the Horticulture for Tomorrow Environmental Assurance Project?
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The major deliverable from the Environmental Assurance project is access for all growers in all horticultural industries to an environmental assurance tool suitable to them. This tool is the Guidelines for Environmental Assurance in Australian Horticulture. While there probably won’t be a huge number of growers adopting a formal Environmental Management System (EMS) the guidelines provided by this project will be used by many growers to informally improve their environmental management and incorporate environmental management practices into their existing management and QA systems.
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What is the Horticulture for Tomorrow Natural Resource Management Initiative?
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This initiative will help identify and generate more targeted assistance for growers through programs like the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and ensure that environmental targets being set for catchments are realistic from an industry perspective. A NRM strategy, developed as part of the project, will demonstrate how various elements of the industry’s environmental initiatives fit together, and give government and community confidence in horticulture’s management of the environment.
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How strict are the EA guidelines going to be – is there a penalty for growers who don’t follow them?
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The guidelines are exactly that – a guide. They are based on industry-accepted good environmental practices. They are practical and achievable. They are also voluntary. Growers can choose what areas they want to focus on and to what level they want to achieve. Nothing is mandatory and there are no penalties.
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How is the project ensuring the EA guidelines are relevant and applicable to horticulturists?
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The project is testing the guidelines with over 160 individual growers across Australia and across a range of industries before finalising them for general application to all horticulturists. A revised, final version of the guidelines will be available in March 2006.
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How does environmental management integrate with the quality and food safety systems that the horticulture industry has implemented?
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The systems integrate very well. There are many issues - such as chemical and fertiliser storage, handling and use - that are common to both. We realise that growers are already stretched to maintain their QA system so having environmental issues that integrate well with the way the business runs already is very important.
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What is the Vision and Strategy statement and what is it for?
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The Vision and Strategy statement was developed by the Industry Leadership Group (ILG) in conjunction with input from industry at the November 2004 Industry Summit. It sets a 10-year vision for environmental management within the horticulture industry, outlines the key strategies to deliver on that vision and identifies performance indicators to assess how the industry is progressing towards its goal. The vision is that by 2010, Australian Horticulture will have embraced a systematic approach to environmental management that underpins the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the industry.
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How do growers get involved in Horticulture for Tomorrow?
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There are many way growers can participate in projects under Horticulture for Tomorrow. Contact your industry organisation or HAL to find out what’s happening in your area and how you can get involved.
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To what extent has the industry been involved in establishing this project – what [TEXT] benefits are there for the industry?
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Horticultural industries have been closely involved from the beginning of the project, helping to frame its shape, define its outcomes, provide funds and communicate information. There are important benefits for the various industries in growers adopting better environmental management practices – with Australian growers demonstrating they can meet improved environmental standards, there is strong potential for increased market satisfaction and opportunity.
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