Regulated code of practice

Bob MacGregor (RDMACGREGOR@gov.pe.ca)
Tue, 14 Jan 1997 14:56:53 -0400

I have an info request... We have a group evaluating land use issue on
Prince Edward Island. High up on the list of concerns is the issue of soil
conservation (both because of the downstream -- or off-farm -- impacts
and because of soil quality deterioration). Among the options being
evaluated are: voluntary compliance, regulated code of practice, and
various tax break or penalty schemes.
I am trying to track down info on use of codes of practice in other
jurisdictions (eg, how it was done, and how well it works [including cost
of monitoring]).
Can any sanetters give me any leads or contacts where I might start
to track this down. My impression is that the major use of this type of
instrument in the US has been via cross-compliance on soil conservation
plans for highly-erodible lands. Have other approaches been tried
which somehow restrict what farmers can do even if they are not
participants in government programs? The main problem with the
cross-compliance approach is that it would reach hardly any of the major
sinners here -- the potato growers -- since they get very little direct help
from government.

I won't go in to the problems with the self-compliance approach: suffice
it to say that education efforts have fallen short, so far.

Anyway, any ideas or starting points you may be able to share would be
appreciated.

Thanks,

BOB
rdmacgregor@gov.pe.ca