Innovations in Agri-Environmental Indicators: Enhancing Sustainability

1. Latest developments in the sphere of agri-environmental indicators

2. Indicators on DG ESTAT’s responsibility • Farmers’ training level and use of environmental advisory system • Area under organic farming • Mineral fertiliser consumption • Consumption of pesticides • Irrigation • Energy use • Cropping patterns • Livestock patterns • Soil cover • Tillage practices • Manure storage • Specialisation • Gross nitrogen Balance

3. Indicators by the main data source 1 • FSS (Farm Structure Survey) • Farmers’ training level and use of environmental advisory system • Cropping patterns • Livestock patterns • Specialisation • SAPM (Survey on Agricultural Production Methods) • Tillage practices • Manure storage • FSS+SAPM • Irrigation

4. Indicators by the main data source 2 • Input statistics • Mineral fertiliser consumption • Energy use • Consumption of pesticides • Other ESTAT survey • Organic farming • Multiple/combination • Soil cover • Gross nutrient balances

5. The data source - FSS • Farmers’ training level and use of environmental advisory system • Share of farmers having made use of environmental farm advisory service/year • Administrative data exists only on the program level and the data is not collected unless support is applied. • The advisory service is only for cross-compliance – relevance of the indicator? • Share of farmers having practical experience, basic training and full agricultural training • Better as a main indicator? • The vocational training (asked in the FSS if attended during last 12 months) could meet information needs better?

6. The data source - FSS • Cropping patterns • Share of agricultural land types/UAA • Area of major agricultural land types (arable crops, permanent grassland and permanent crops) • The data on rotation systems of arable crop would give better info on environmental impacts • Livestock patterns • Livestock density • Number of major livestock types, share of major livestock types and grazing stocking rate (grazing livestock LU/grassland+forage area) • To get a better idea of environmental impacts, more sub-indicators are needed (on feeding & housing systems and on fodder production) • Specialisation • Share of agricultural area managed by specialised farm types

7. The data source - SAPM • Tillage practises • Share of arable areas under conservation tillage/total arable area • Arable area under conservation tillage and zero tillage • Manure storage • Type of storage of farm manure and slurry • The main indicator needs to be developed • FSS data on the capacity of the manure storage is not usable (m3 & months) – deleted from the next FSS • In the SAPM farmers are asked to estimate % of UAA on which manure (solid/slurry) is applied and also to estimate the amount of manure which is exported from the farm

8. The data source – FSS+SAPM • Irrigation • Share of irrigable areas/UAA • Irrigable areas, irrigated areas, irrigated/UAA, irrigated crops, share of irrigated area according to the type of the irrigation • Gaps in the data • Irrigated crops + type of the irrigation method were asked earlier in the FSS, in the future in SAPM • Detailed analysis

9. Mineral fertiliser consumption • Application rate by crop of nitrogen and phosphorus • Absolute volumes of nitrogen and phosphorus • Data is not available in the required format • Pilot project launched in 14 MS for the collection of the data on farm/crop level and possibilities to link it with other data sources • Energy use (ESTAT energy statistic) • Annual use of energy on farm level by fuel type • Main indicator is needed. New data is combination of the energy use of agriculture and forestry. The use of FADN should be explored The data source – input statistics

10. The data source – input statistics • Consumption of pesticides • Application rates of different pesticide categories • Used/sold quantities of different pesticide categories • The data is not available in the required format. • DG ESTAT has launched a legal proposal to collect statistics on sale and use of plant protection products on a mandatory basis. The first sales data for active substances should be available in 2012 at the earliest and data on use in 2015 only on NUTS 1 level only. • A harmonised methodology for data collection on use has been tested in the framework of pilot projects with Phare and Transition Facility Beneficiary Countries (2005-2007).

11. The data source – other ESTAT survey • Area under organic farming • Share of areas under organic farming • Area under organic farming • The FSS data and the data collected under reg. 2092/1991 give different information • A new regulation on organic farming includes an article on the statistical information collected – harmonization needed

12. The data source – multiple/combination • Soil cover • Share of the year when arable area is covered by plants or plant residues • The indicator is not yet mature. Conceptual and methodological improvement is needed. The measurement is not properly defined. • Data on seeding and harvesting dates and the coincidence of rainy weather conditions and plant stand is needed. The data from the footprint survey could probably be used. • Data on soil cover on winter is collected through SAPM • Link

13. The data source – multiple/combination • Gross nutrient balances • The potential use of phosphorus on agricultural land (kg N/ha/year) (risk of pollution of P) • The potential surplus of nitrogen on agricultural land (kg N/ha/year) • The indicator exists on the national level only. Regional data of all the variables is not available. Collection of the data and calculation of the balances are under the preparation. Methodology behind the coefficients needs to be comparable. • 9 TAPAS actions are ongoing. Their purpose is to improve the calculation methods.