Product development
Australian Land Management Group (ALM Group) has designed and tested the Certified Land Management (CLM) system. This is the only system for improving and verifying land management and animal welfare in Australiathat is:
- whole-of-farm
- nationally applicable
- externally audited
- ISO14001 compliant.
ALM Group led the production and distribution of the Australian Environmental Management System Manual and developed a web-based software tool, myEMS. This tool improves the effectiveness of land management and dramatically reduces the time and cost of developing, implementing and auditing environmental management plans.
Participation
There are about 150 landholders with CLM across four states managing 750,000 ha and with another 500,000 ha in transition to CLM. On average, each of these landholders manages about 8,000 ha with more than 90% managing over 200 ha. Most are involved in broadacre grazing and cropping industries.
No land management certification system in Australia besides the successful organic movement can match this coverage.
There are thousands of other landholders who ‘get’ the benefits of certification but who are reluctant to adopt certification until motivators are more strongly aligned, e.g. support from NRM and stewardship programs and recognition from the market place for good environmental outcomes.
Recognition
The achievements of ALM Group and the benefits of CLM have been recognised in a number of ways:
- in 2008 ALM Group received the South Australian FarmBis Award for Excellence in Natural Resource Management Training
- a CLM landholder has been awarded the National Landcare Award
- in 2009 a CLM landholder was awarded the National Environmental Management Systems Award
- in 2009 Her Excellency the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AO, previously Australian United Nations Ambassador for the Environment, hosted an ALM GROUP recognition breakfast.
The work by ALM Group is recognised by our Foundation Partners, Elders and the Queensland Murray–Darling Committee Inc.
Other supporters of the ALM GROUP are the Australian Government Farm Ready program, Japanese based, global textile corporation Onward Kashiyama, Korean Cheil Industries textile companies, The Merino Company (TMC) and a number of volunteers.