Copenhagen,
21 March 2006 - Environmental efforts pursued through
the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) need to be better
targeted geographically to maximise their effectiveness
according to a new report from the European Environment
Agency (EEA), based in Copenhagen.
'Integration of environment into
EU agriculture policy', an environmental evaluation
of CAP, was launched today at the European Parliament
in Brussels. The report suggests more targeted policy
to help preserve the Natura 2000 network of protected
areas across Europe. Traditional 'extensive' or
low intensity farming is essential for maintaining
the high animal and plant diversity of these areas,
the report says.
CAP now includes a range of measures
aimed at supporting better environmental management
in agriculture and the report notes considerable
progress in terms of integrating environmental protection
into agriculture policy.
"However, in terms of protecting
biodiversity, the pattern of CAP spending is not
as good as it should be. Biodiversity suffers more
where farming is intensive and fares better where
farming is less intensive," says Professor
Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.
The IRENA report also points out
that the pattern of spending by Member States reveals
that the majority of agri-environment funds are
allocated or 'programmed' in areas of intensive
farming, many of which are in the North of the continent.
The environmental effectiveness of the CAP budget
could be improved if Member States programmed more
money to be spent in areas of less intensive farming,
traditionally in the South. These regions have a
higher share of Natura 2000 areas and 'high nature
value farmland' which are threatened both by abandonment
of farming or its intensification. To avoid these
negative trends these regions could benefit from
better targeted support from CAP.
"Protecting biodiversity
is a top-level policy objective of the EU and the
UN. It is important because it encourages the ecological
stability of agro-ecosystems and because a variety
of flowers, butterflies, birds and animals add to
the natural capital of rural areas. CAP's agri-environment
spending could provide more environmental benefit
if it were targeted on areas of key importance for
biodiversity," Professor McGlade said.
The IRENA report is part of the
wider IRENA project which assesses the link between
agriculture and environment in the EU-15 on the
basis of 35 agri-environment indicators. IRENA stands
for "Indicator Reporting on the Integration
of Environmental Concerns into Agriculture Policy"
(see editor's notes).
While the report notes considerable
progress in terms of integrating environmental protection
into the objectives of agriculture policy, it underlines
the impact that farming continues to have particularly
on soil and water resources. Agriculture is responsible
for about 50% of water use in southern Europe and
contributes about 50% of total nitrogen pollution
in the rivers of the EU-15. Farming also emits 10%
of total greenhouse gas emissions and 94% of ammonia
emissions in the EU-15.
The report stresses that a significant
investment into data collection on key environmental
issues, farm trends and the spatial distribution
of policy measures is necessary for a proper evaluation
of the CAP. Only then, will a full assessment of
the impact of agriculture policy on the environment
be possible.
Notes to the Editor:
The IRENA project
This report is one of the outputs of the IRENA project.
IRENA stands for "Indicator Reporting on the
Integration of Environmental Concerns into Agriculture
Policy". It is a joint exercise between several
Commission Directorates-Generals including DG Agriculture
and Rural Development, DG Environment, DG Joint
Research Centre, Eurostat and the European Environment
Agency.
The project covers the 15 Member
States that constituted the EU in 2002. It is a
response of the European Commission to the request
of the Agricultural Council made in 2001 to develop
a set of agri-environmental indicators for monitoring
progress towards the integration of environmental
concerns into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The 35 indicators produced are
based on a wide range of data sources, collected
at different geographical levels (national and regional),
and generally cover the period from 11000 to 2000.
They are presented in 'indicator fact sheets'. Further
information on IRENA reports and results is available
at: http://webpubs.eea.eu.int/content/irena/index.htm
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 refers to an EU network of sites designated
by Member States to conserve natural habitats and
species of wildlife which are rare, endangered or
vulnerable in the European Community. The term Natura
2000 comes from the 1992 EC Habitats Directive,
it symbolises the conservation of precious natural
resources for the year 2000 and beyond
CAP and the Environment
The European Council in Helsinki (December 1999),
adopted a strategy to integrate an environmental
dimension into the CAP. The integration requirement
implies an active pursuit of coherence and complementarity
between agriculture and environment policies.
Key Findings of the IRENA project
Due to decreased livestock numbers
and mineral fertiliser consumption, greenhouse gas
and ammonia emissions from agriculture have declined
by about 9 per cent since 11000. However, a continuation
of these trends will not be enough to meet 2010
ammonia emission reduction targets.
In 2002, the agricultural
sector contributed around 10% of total greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, mainly methane and nitrous
oxide. Agricultural emissions of GHG fell by nearly
9% between 11000 and 2002, mainly due to a reduction
of livestock numbers, the lower use of mineral fertilisers,
and changes in farm management practices.
Agricultural emissions of ammonia decreased by 9%
during the same period. The agricultural sector
still represented an estimated 94% of ammonia emissions
in the EU-15 in 2002.
The irrigable area within the EU-12 increased by
12 per cent from 11000 to 2000, mostly in Mediterranean
countries where irrigation accounted for about 50
per cent of water use. The figure drops to approximately
7 per cent in Northern Europe.
The majority of farmland birds suffered a strong
decline from 1980 to 2002. This decline levelled
off in the 11000s but species diversity remains
at a low level in intensively farmed areas.
