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Agriculture and the environment
–
a picture in figures
A
new European Union (EU) report has been produced by two Directorates of the
European Commission, DGVI (Agriculture) and DGXI (Environment), and the agency
Eurostat, summarising the linkage between agriculture and the environment.
Few EU Member States conduct accurate
surveys of the pesticides they use, and the agrochemical industry is unwilling
to disclose detailed data. A new report brings together for the first time
statistical information from various arms and agencies of the European
Commission. The harmonisation of data gathering systems will provide a more
useful indication of trends. But the important question is whether there will be
harmonisation of environment and agriculture policies to reduce the impacts of
pesticides.
The report confirms that ecological
farming generates employment, and trends in organic farming are upwards.
Question marks remain over impacts of pesticides in water and the environment.
Highlights from the report are:
Employment
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Environmentally friendly farming
methods generate employment, in terms of certification and compliance
procedures, technical advice, marketing, and increased labour costs (Denmark
estimates labour costs rise by approximately 38% in converting to organic),
and landscape management practices associated with agri-environment schemes.
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Women make up one third of the total
agricultural labour force in the EU.
Organic farming
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Organic farming has increased in the
EU from 6,300 farms in 1985 to over 100,000 (including
organic-in-conversion) in 1998.
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The average organic growth rate
across the EU is 26%; but for Greece, Spain, Italy, Austria, Finland and
Sweden the annual increase has been 50% or more over the last ten
years.
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The area under organic farming has
increased by 28% pa. The UK has less organic land than Denmark, although its
agricultural area is six times greater.
Impact of agri-environment measures
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Over half the agricultural area benefits
from agri-environment schemes in Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Luxembourg.
Germany (39%), Ireland (24%) and France (23%) are also high. The UK is
lower, at 15%. The target of the EU’s Fifth Environment Action Plan
(5EAP) was 15% of area under agri-environment measures by 2000.
Water
Pesticides
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Only Sweden, Netherlands and the UK carry
out regular direct surveys on the use of pesticides by farmers. The report
provides short summaries of the use of pesticides in these three countries.
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The 5EAP aimed at reducing pesticide
usage per unit of land. This has not been achieved, partly because the
weight of pesticide used does not directly reflect the health or
environmental impact of that use. France is the largest user of pesticides
by weight, with 31% of the market, followed by Italy (16%), UK (12%) and
Germany (12%). However a comparison of use per unit area shows that
pesticide usage in Belgium and the Netherlands are much higher, with the UK
and France some way behind in third and fourth place.
Conclusion
Comparisons across the EU are helpful. Why is pesticide use so much more
intensive in some countries than others? Why do other countries lag behind in
implementing the agri-environment package? Why do so few countries survey the
usage of pesticides? Why is there no coordinated water monitoring scheme across
the EU?
This report needs to generate discussion among policy makers
and others—particularly those involved in agriculture and the environment—so
that the next Environmental Action Programme and the forthcoming CAP
negotiations can proceed with a common purpose. (PB)
Agriculture,
Environment, Rural Development: Facts and Figures—A Challenge for Agriculture.
Available on the DGVI website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg06/envir/report/en/index.htm
[This article first
appeared in Pesticides News No.45, September 2000, page 17]
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