1. Scope Primary agriculture operations in Canada vary greatly in size from small holdings of a few hectares to extensive ranches of many thousands of hectares. Farms might be family-owned as sole proprietorships or they might be incorporated - in almost every case as nondistributing companies. Regardless of size and ownership, all agricultural operations interact with surrounding environments, including soil, water, and air. This Guide provides assistance to primary agriculture producers for the development and implementation of an environmental management system (EMS) based on ISO 14001. Although this Guide attempts to be as comprehensive as possible, ISO 14001 and 14004 should also be consulted.
Note: Appendix A provides a glossary of terms used in this Guide. 1.2 Structure of Guide: Investigate, Define, Plan, Check, Act Each clause in the Guide covers one of the above headings. For ease of use, the ?plan? component of the implementation has been divided into three sections: ?investigate?, ?define?, and ?plan?. By the end of this Guide, you will have covered all of the elements required by ISO 14001. Appendices and explanatory materials (set in text boxes) are intended to supply detailed information and add to the Guide?s usability. The worksheets included in Appendix B are intended to be used by agricultural owners and operators while developing their EMS. The worksheets should act as outlines for completing the various activities described in the Guide; they are not intended to provide comprehensive methodologies.