April 15, 2009

SOURIS FARMER FIRST TO RECEIVE RECOGNITION FROM ALUS PROGRAM

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- Souris potato farmer Peter Townshend is the first recipient of a provincial payment under the Alternative Land Use Services program, Richard Brown, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry, and George Webster, Minister of Agriculture, announced Wednesday. Townshend, a veteran farmer and winner of awards for his environmental work, was presented with a cheque from the ALUS program in a ceremony Wednesday at Province House. "Peter is a very fitting recipient for the first ALUS cheque and I hope this program encourages Peter and farmers across this province to keep up the good work and to go even further in providing environmental goods and services to the people of this province," said Minister Brown.

Townshend Potato Company, a family farm operated by Peter and Lynn Townshend, was the 2007 winner of the Gilbert R. Clements Award for Excellence in Environmental Farm Planning. This award is given annually to a farm enterprise, which is economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible in the production of high quality food from a sustainable system.

The Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program, announced in early 2008, provides farmers and landowners with financial incentives to carry out environmental services that go beyond the minimum standards mandated by provincial regulation.

So far, more than 125 ALUS applications have come in requesting support for land and water protection projects that affect fields totaling roughly 50,000 acres. Eligible projects range from enhanced buffer zones to anti-erosion structures and retirement of high-sloped lands from annual crop production.

Minister Brown said the strength of the ALUS program on Prince Edward Island is that the ALUS approach is community-developed and farmer-delivered.

"All of us in this province depend on the environmental services provided by our working rural landscape, the ALUS program recognizes and rewards this important partnership," he said.<.p>-30-

For more information, contact Ron Ryder, Environment, Energy & Forestry by email rrryder@gov.pe.ca or phone (902) 368-5286.