Historic impact of agriculture positive, but modern, intensive agriculture is a threat to biodiversity, water, soil, etc.

1
EEA Fourth Environmental Assessment

• Historic impact of agriculture positive, but
  modern, intensive agriculture is a threat to
  biodiversity, water, soil, etc.
• Modern agriculture depends not only on soil,
  water, biological systems, but also fossil fuels,
  medicines, chemicals, etc.
• Fertiliser Use decreasing, except in EU-10
  nitrates are polluting drinking water and causing
  eutrophication (50 of Baltic N from agriculture)
• Pesticides Still a concern localised
  contamination.
• Irrigation Agricultural intensification decline
  in the levels and quality of water degradation
  of the land (particularly in S Europe).
• Biofuels Need to ensure overall environmental
  benefits.
• Intensification ECE and the Balkans have
  untapped agricultural potential, which may see
  intensified production to meet world demand for
  food.

2
Trends and Pressures

• Main objective has always been to increase
  production.
• Rural E and SE Europe being abandoned due to low
  productivity and distance from major markets
  poor labour efficiency in formerly collectivised
  economies privatisation.
• Both intensification and abandonment have
  negative outcomes.
• EEA very optimistic about organic farming.
• Agriculture also subject to negative
  environmental impacts.

3
Continued...

• Climate change rainfall seasonality
  temperature forestry as a response?
• Livestock Significant decreases during the
  1990s livestock farming disastrous when
  coinciding with poor manure management
• Services Landscapes, habitats tourism carbon
  storage bioenergy production?
• Biodiversity

4
Policy Responses

• CAP no longer driving intensification
• RD funding rather than agri. funding
• Income pressure to specialise how do we offset
  this?
• Catch-up for E Europe
• Challenge of farming efficiently whilst looking
  after the environment all this has to be tackled
  together surely?

5
Dwyer 2007

• Key Issues
• Nutrient loads on freshwater
• Loss of land to built development
• Habitat fragmentation and species decline
• Soil, air quality
• CE European Landscape Convention (2004)
• Cultural heritage natural heritage
• 6th Environmental Action Plan (EAP)
• Soil, air, sustainability, waste, pesticides.
• Really stresses the importance of agent
  education.
• How to aim beyond farming?

6
EPA 2006

• Ammonia 85 manure, 15 fertilisers
• GHGs 20 Mt CO2 eq. out of 68.5 related to
  agriculture
• Pollution 29.8 rivers
• Eutrophication 16.2 lakes
• 60 of shoreline in some way polluted, along with
  30 of groundwater
• Unacceptable number of fish kills
• Few SPAs
• Poor agricultural practice