Grant from Better Cotton gives Australia’s myBMP a boost
Representative body Cotton Australia has reported an increase in engagement among cotton growers with its myBMP (best management practice) programme.
Launched in 2010, myBMP is a voluntary environmental management system that provides self-assessment mechanisms, tools and auditing processes to help farmers produce their cotton crops in keeping with best practice.
This year, Cotton Australia, has said almost 550 cotton farms in Australia are myBMP-certified, an increase of 37.5% compared to last year.
Cotton Australia said the farms involved already will produce an estimated 45% of the total national cotton crop this season.
It also said other farm owners and managers are lining up to undertake the certification process, with independent auditors and the organisation’s regional managers on hand to help them. Australia has around 1,500 cotton growers in total.
General manager of Cotton Australia, Michael Murray, attributed the increase to work that dedicated myBMP officers have been able to do since last year in key cotton-producing states.
He explained that a grant from Better Cotton had made it possible to recruit a dedicated myBMP officer to work with growers in New South Wales, with another officer available part-time in Queensland.
