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Environmental Management Systems in the Yarra Valley - a case study on integration with quality assurance and integrated catchment management by Jane Fisher,
Edited by Alison Medhurst
February 2005
RIRDC Publication No 05/028 RIRDC Project No DAV-186A
A number of issues made the Yarra Valley an ideal place to pilot the concept of a regional EMS.
These issues include conflict on the urban rural fringe about traditional production methods and concerns about contributions to the level of pollution in the Yarra River and ultimately Port Phillip Bay. A regional EMS is seen as an important tool for growers to demonstrate to consumers that food grown in the Yarra Valley is produced in an environmentally responsible manner.
The model developed for development
of a regional EMS consisted of the following steps:
Participatory processes
were used throughout the project to engage with stakeholders in identifying
environmental issues and developing the tools to enable industry to adopt
the regional EMS. This approach resulted in a high level of ownership and
advocacy for the project by the participants. The primary outputs of the
project were the production of Regional Environmental Best Management Practices
for Viticulture in the Yarra Valley and a Self-Assessment Questionnaire.
As a result of this project and the ownership and support of the Yarra Valley wine grape growers, two grower-sourced funding opportunities (a GWRDC Regional Innovation and Technology Adoption grant and a Greater Victorian Wine Industry Development Committee grant) have been obtained to continue the implementation phase of the Yarra Valley EMS in viticulture.
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