agriculture and environment measures – working towards sustainable agriculture

Paul SpeightEuropean Commission

DG EnvironmentUnit Agriculture & Soil

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Env law pushing towards sust agriculture

Pesticide Framework Directive Nitrates Directive Water Framework Directive Natura 2000 What is in common?

Flexible but clear approach Prevention better than cure... Allow room for more ambition MS support built in (action plans and so on)

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Pesticide FD as an example

Integrated pest management (obligatory by 2014)

Focussed on preventing damage before it occurs

Room for more ambition - crop specific IPM for example

Support from MS built in –national action plans

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Integrated Pest Management Promotion of low pesticide-input pest management

Establishment or support of necessary conditions for the implementation of IPM: Tools for pest monitoring Tools for decision-making and advisory services

General principles of IPM (see Annex III) - Guidelines coming – three pillar structure Prevention – crop rotation etc Action only when needed and at the right time – monitoring

etc Right type of action – advice on PPP etc

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Rural development + agri-env measures in particular, supports

env lawRural

Development 2007-2013

« LEADER » Axis (>5%)

Axis 1

Competitive-ness

(> 10%)

Axis 2

Environment+

Land Management

(> 25%)

Axis 3

Economic Diversification

+ Quality of Life

(> 10%)

Single set of programming, financing, monitoring, auditing rules

Single Rural Development Fund (EARFD)

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RD measures of relevance for env

Farm AdvisorySystem

Meeting Standards

Farm modernisation

Develop. of agric.&forest infrastructure

Payments linked toDirective 2000/60 &

NATURA 2000

LFA

Afforestation

Agro-forestry

Forest-env.paymentsTraining

Env

Natural disaster&prevention actions

Agri-environment

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Agri-environment

Main objectives: improvements and maintenance of the environment

The only compulsory RD measure Commitments going beyond the AE baseline, AE Baseline = cross compliance + minimum

requirements for fertiliser and PPP use + other relevant mandatory national requirements

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Riparian buffer strips – one concrete example

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buffer strips – potential for synergies in action

Nitrates directive – in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.No application of fertiliser near water courses.

Legislation already in place.

Cross compliance GAEC –Introduction by 1/1/2012.

Pesticides Framework Directive

Water Framework Directive – Measures operational by October 2012;

no explicit buffer strip obligationsbut likely to be needed

in many cases to achieverequired water quality

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What instruments could be used to do this?

Either legal provisionse.g. through Pesticide FD implementation

Or MS could use incentive payments (agri-environment or related state aids).e.g. MS/regions could introduce an agri-environmental

measure to pay farmers not to farm their GAEC buffer strips at all, to protect water; and why not add an extra payment to plant the strips with wildlife enhancing plants, to protect biodiversity? Great opportunity to do this with modulation money from CAP Health Check.

A good solution would be to use both compulsory and voluntary approaches in combination.

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Next Steps?

Commissioner Potočnik set out some views in his speech last week (available on RAPID)

Clear that the future of the CAP extremely important for the European environment