A. Focus on Impact

An effective Pollution Prevention Strategy for Michigan Agriculture must emphasize, above all else, overall impact on both environmental quality (through pollution prevention) and agricultural financial viability. Ultimately, program outcomes should be evaluated on these criteria with due consideration given to nonagricultural pollution sources and contributors.

B. Right to Farm is a Successful Model

Michigan’s Right to Farm Act provides a model for agricultural pollution prevention. That success can be attributed to:

• producer participation in the design.
• workable, easily implemented, practical steps.
• voluntary actions and positive incentives rather than mandatory regulation.
• The Task Force maintains that no one has a right to pollute; therefore, the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (P.A. 451 of 1994) remains the basis for action against those who choose not to voluntarily address identified significant pollution problems.

C. Further Recommendations for Successful Implementation

To achieve maximum participation, an effective pollution prevention strategy should also:

• recognize that achieving environmental goals may come at a cost to farmers, and maintaining profitability is a priority.
• recognize that all society benefits from improved environmental quality and therefore shares a responsibility in the financial costs of achieving it.
• acknowledge producers' existing voluntary pollution prevention efforts.
• endorse approaches that emphasize partnerships and voluntary educational efforts as opposed to "command and control" regulation.
• allow flexibility, recognizing that Michigan agriculture is diverse and conducted under enormously varying conditions across the state, with vastly different potentials for pollution and pollution prevention.
• recognize and enhance producers’ innovative abilities to solve/prevent pollution problems.
• enable producers to understand and appreciate the benefits of this approach.
• to minimize adversarial relationships between regulators and producers, giving way to a more facilitated cooperation, requiring new understanding from both.