LFP’s farm standards are a central part of the LFP program. These were developed with input from a wide range of stakeholders, to be meaningful, rigorous and credible, yet accessible to many farmers. LFP is building a “big tent,” where farmers who are committed to sustainable production and continuous improvement are welcome.
LFP’s standards are designed to provide guidance to farmers on practice and system requirements to be certified as an LFP operation. These standards describe a different level of farm performance, consistent with LFP principles, than occurs in conventional food production and distribution.
LFP certified farmers and processors work to:
- Employ sustainable production systems that reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; avoid the use of hormones, antibiotics, and genetic engineering; and conserve soil and water.
- Provide safe and fair working conditions for on-farm labour.
- Provide healthy and humane care for livestock.
- Protect and enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity on working farm landscapes.
- Reduce on-farm energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The standards strike a balance between economic, social, and environmental considerations, and must represent significant progress in the transition to more sustainable practices. They provide farmers with the flexibility to use a range of practices, based on their assessment of what is most suitable for their operation. LFP does not permit parallel production, that is, LFP certified and non LFP certified production of the same crop or livestock on the same farm.
A visual overview of the standards follows. The standards outline approved practices, with points associated with each practice. Operations employing prohibited practices or not meeting mandatory conditions are ineligible for the program. In total, an LFP standard typically contains up to 1,200 points.
LFP certification involves compliance with a set of both mandatory and points-based standards. Local production is a mandatory requirement for LFP certification. Farmers must accumulate 75% of the available points from their production practices in order for their operation to meet LFP standards. LFP’s labour requirements are mandatory for LFP certification. Farmers must accumulate 50% of the available points for both the biodiversity and energy standards. Bonus points are available for some practices. The bonus points are used in calculating total points towards LFP certification, but they are not necessary to achieve LFP certification.
Growers must keep detailed records of all farming activities to verify that approved practices and systems have been used.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, standards are strengthened regularly, based on input from growers and other experts.
Fig. 1 Farmer Certification Flowchart
For our General Standards for Farmer and Ranchers click
here• If you're interested, call Amber Gulbis, Certification Coordinator, at 905-246-3063 or
click here to email.
2 See LFP GMO Policy
Certified Local Sustainable
food is sold at restaurants, stores, farms, markets, and institutions across Canada