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Agriculture and environmentAgriculture and environmentEU agriculture policy perspectiveEU agriculture policy perspective

Royal Agricultural University – EEA Copenhagen, 8th February 2007

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• First pillar of CAP

• Objectives: income support; ensure food supply of safety and quality products; sector competitiveness

• Mid term review of 2003: Regulation (EC) 1782/2003

• Single Payment Scheme (SPS): decoupling of direct payments

• Cross-compliance (CC) mechanism: direct payments to farmers are subject to compliance with a set of rules:

– Statutory management requirements– Good agriculture and environmental condition

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Top priorities of CAP roles for EU citizens (2001-2003)http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/survey/2004/rep_en.pdf

• ≥ 90%– Ensuring that agricultural products are healthy and safe– Promoting the respect of the environment

• 80-90%– Protecting medium and small farms– Ensuring that the well being of farm animals is respected– Helping farmers to adapt to their production to consumer’s expectations– Favour and improve life in the countryside

• 70-80%– Protecting the specificity of European agricultural products– Diversification of agricultural products and activities– Socio economic aspects: competitiveness on world markets, farm income,

disparities between regions,…

And in the 1990’s?Food safety 89%Animal protection 84%Fight against fraud in the agricultural sector 83%Protecting the environment 81%

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Statutory management requirements (SMR)

From 1.1.2005

Environment - Conservation of wild birds- Protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous substances- Protection of the environment, and in particular the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture- Protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources- Conservation of natural habitats and of flora and fauna

Public and animal health

Identification and registration of animals

- Identification and registration of animals- Eartags, registers and passports in the framework of the system for the identification and registration of bovine animals- Labelling of beef and beef products

From 1.1.2006

Public, animal and plant health

- Marketing of plant protection products- Prohibition on use in stockfarming of certain substances- General principles of food safety- Prevention, control and eradication of certain TSE

Notification of diseases

- Control of foot-and-mouth disease- Control of certain animal disease, in particular swine vesicular disease- Control and eradication of bluetongue

From 1.1.2007

Animal welfare - Minimum standards for the protection of calves- Minimum standards for the protection of pigs- Protection of animals kept for farming purposes

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Maintenance of good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC)

Issue Standards

Soil erosion:

Protect soil through appropriate measures

- Minimum soil cover- Minimum land management reflecting site-specific conditions- Retain terraces

Soil organic matter:

Maintain soil organic matter levels through appropriate practices

- Standards for crop rotations where applicable- Arable stubble management

Soil structures:

Maintain soil structures through appropriate measures

- Appropriate machinery use

Minimum level of maintenance:

Ensure a minimum level of maintenance and avoid the deterioration of habitats

- Minimum livestock stocking rates or/and appropriate regimes- Protection of permanent pastures- Retention of landscape features- Avoid the encroachment of unwanted vegetation on agricultural land

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Not uniform degree of environmental protection from CC

• flexibility in setting requirements and standards

• lacks and/or delays in national implementation

• applies to the big agriculture sectors, but not to all of them

CC mechanism relies on

• verification by auditing services

• partially, on self-commitment of farmers

need for training, awareness of farmers and active role of advisory services CIFAS project http://www.ewindows.eu.org/cifas/

Results of research/assessments of CC still not clear

• short time of application

• difficult to isolate positive environmental effects

• difficult to establish quantitative improvements/targets

• estimated degree of compliance, in general, rather acceptable (with the exemptions of Nitrate Directive and identification of animals)

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• Second pillar of CAP: rural development policy

• New rural development policy for 2007-2013:Regulation (EC) 1698/2005

• Basic references: LISBON Strategy and GÖTEBORG conclusions

• Programs and measures structured in three objective-related axes plus a methodological axis:

Axis 1. Improving the competitiveness of agricultural and forestry sectorsAxis 2. Improving the environment and the countrysideAxis 3. Quality of life in rural areas and diversification of rural economyAxis 4. Leader

• Strategic programming

Strategic Community Guidelines

National Strategy Plans

Rural Development Programs

Axis 2 should be devoted to three EU level priority areas:• biodiversity and preservation of HNV farming and forest systems and traditional agricultural landscapes;• water;• and climate change.

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RuralRural development measures 2007-2013development measures 2007-2013 • Axis 1. Improving the competitiveness of agricultural and forestry sectors

Promoting knowledge and human potentiale.g. training, advisory services, setting up of young farmers

Restructuring and developing physical potential and promoting innovatione.g. modernisation of farms, value added, infrastructure, support to meeting standards

Quality of agricultural production Transitional measures for new MS

• Axis 2. Improving the environment and the countryside

Agri-environment schemes, e.g. organic farming Compensatory allowances to less favoured areas Natura 2000 and Water Framework Directive-linked payments Non productive investments (e.g. to improve public amenity value) Afforestation, agroforestry systems, …

• Axis 3. Quality of life in rural areas and diversification of rural economy

Diversification to non-agricultural, creation of micro-enterprises, tourism Basic services to rural population, village renewal, conservation of rural heritage Training and information for local actors, skill-acquisition and animation

• Axis 4. Leader

Local development strategies, aimed at achieving the objectives of the other 3 axis and to cooperation projects

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Great flexibility to Member states/regions to combine measures accordingto their strategies and objectives

• different levels of implementation

• multi objective programs

• flexibility limited in regulation by• balance between objectives: 10-25-10-5 minimum %• agri-environment support must be available throughout the territory

Effectiveness of rural development measures

• different impact, mainly dependent on funds allocated to measures and the level of payments per farmer

• conditioned / undermined by budgetary constraints

• more targeted, more effectiveness

• how to measure?

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Tak

Thank you

Gracias

elena.cebriancalvo@eea.europa.eu