TRINET

1. TRINET

2. In Europe, traditional, low-intensity farming farming has, over the centuries, created and maintained a sizeable proportion of what we call ‘nature’: heaths, moors, dehesas …and many grasslands! There are even terms for this: ‘Kulturlandschaft’, semi-natural habitats, high nature-value (HNV) farmland JAPAN: Sato Yama TRINET = grasslands

3. The changes to agriculture over the past century and, especially, the past decades, have been breaking this link between farming and nature Trend: towards monocultural farming TRINET wants to emphasize that farming can be more than that! Farming can be multifunctional! Maximising the output of products for market!

4. Multifunctional farming = • Producingfood and rawmaterials • Creating and maintaininglandscape • Preserving or enhancingbiodiversity • Environmentalgoods – less pollution, erosion, better water quality, intact river ecosystems • Public access – tourism, recreation, hunting, sport fishing..

5. The ideal versus the real Ideally, farmerswouldhave an immediate professionalinterest in usingspecies-richgrasslands, woodedpastures, haymeadows etc in the way thatthesegrasslandhabitatsrequire to keeptheirlandscape and biodiversityvalue = Ideally, ecologically optimal land useissimultaneouslyeconomically and technicallyrewarding land use. Thisisnotthecase in the real world! Across Europe, these grassland habitats are: • being abandoned to natural succession, • afforested, • or converted to arable land or non-agricultural uses because there is no longer enough economic value in using them. Or their use is being intensified: • drainage, • application of fertilisers, • sowing commercial grass seed, • frequent mowing in order to get a better financial and livestock- nutritional return

6. Conclusion: thereis a problemwithgrasslandsbecausethe land usesthattraditionallykeptthem in good ecological condition, are no longereconomically, socially and technicallyviable Iftheywereviable , farmerswouldeverywhereautomatically and enthusiasticallybeapplyingthe right techniques and intensity and therewouldbe no lossorecologicaldegradation of grasslands to worryabout

7. TRINET targets grasslands TRINET is looking for: initiatives from across Europe where multifunctional grassland-based farming is already working in favour of nature, or where it is being developed and encouraged. These initiatives often have a dual structure: consisting of conservationists and local farmers who are working together in partnership. Grassland-based farming: producing hay, milk, meat which makes multifunctional land use a cornerstone of entrepreneurial strategy.

8. Landscape Biodiversity Integrity of rivers and surface waters TRI-NET = networking multifunctional grassland farming initiatives working for ‘nature’

9. Summary of the TRINET programmeelaborated after the workshop organised by the WeidevereinRamsargebietLafnitztal in Loipersdorf-Buchschachen (Austria) Nov. 6-7 2006. • Possible objectives of the TRINET network • Such networking can be used to: • Forge awareness of common background and identity. This type of farming is somewhat outside the mainstream of agricultural business yet is not part of the organic farming movement either. It has an identity of its own and could try to make itself heard. • Bymaking such initiatives aware of eachother and analysing and disseminatingtheirexperience, thenetwork will strengthentheexisting initiatives (learningfromeachother) and helpothersinterested in takingthis route (bygathering ‘how to do it’ knowledge). • Exchange practical experience of how to use grassland to produce nature values: what works? where are the problems? How do we know that the grassland use is producing nature values (monitoring)? • Examine agri-political aspects: How does the reformed CAP, notably the second pillar (Regulation 1698/2005, EAFRD), influence the farmers committed to multifunctional grassland-based farming? What is the role of cross-compliance (Regulation 1782/2003)? How is decoupling affecting these grassland farmers, e.g. with respect to suckler cow premia? Does the CAP and other EU policy (hygiene legislation, regulations about slaughter, etc) help or hinder multifunctional grassland farmers to position their produce on the market as something distinctive? • Compare different national applications of EU policy such as Regulation 1698/2005 (rural development) and assessing which of these are the most suited to supporting multifunctional grassland farming, and which are not, can be mutually rewarding and can provide ideas to propose or pursue back home (lobbying, mid-term review). • 1) NB: The kind of farming targeted by TRINET is not the same as organic (‘biological’) farming! Whereas organic farming adheres to a well-defined and strict system of rules and farming practices, the farming initiatives covered by TRINET apply practices which are more loosely defined, depending on particular local circumstances, and which are characterized by pragmatism. Thus although de facto some of these initiatives may apply farming practices which are equivalent to organic farming, it is quite as possible that other initiatives apply very classic farming practices, including the use of synthetic inputs, only in a milder and different way than is usual

10. Main topics covered in the TRINET programmeelaborated after the workshop organised by the WeidevereinRamsargebietLafnitztal in Loipersdorf-Buchschachen (Austria) Nov. 6-7 2006. The TRINET philosophy The economics of multifunctional grassland farming Multifunctional grassland farming and rural development Multifunctional grassland farming and Natura 2000 Multifunctional grassland farming and the Water Framework Directive Suggestions for actions TRINET could undertake

11. TRINET Workshop Building Nordic-Baltic and European partnership in grassland farming for biodiversity Sigulda, Latvia, Oct. 11-12 2007 Agreement to continue as a group The participants to the workshop (see attached list) agree to continue as a group under a single name, but without any formal structure or statutes at this stage (I.e. as a de facto, not a de iure, association). For some participants, commitment to the network will depend on agreement internally with managers within the organisation they belong to. There is however always a possibility to participate as an individual, instead of as an official representative of an organisation.

12. List of Participants TRINET Workshop Sigulda, Latvia, Oct. 11-12 2007

13. TRINET Workshop Building Nordic-Baltic and European partnership in grassland farming for biodiversity Sigulda, Latvia, Oct. 11-12 2007 Partnership as underlying factor For many decades, farmers and nature conservationists stood in opposition to each other. There is now a transition under way towards a new partnership model, where farmers and nature conservation bodies work together to restore and maintain high nature value grasslands. Partnership implies: Together finding the most effective ways of delivering biodiversity (= creativity in management techniques and monitoring of results); Together evaluating Rural Development and other tools which are available, comparing between countries as well as examining their efficacy (for biodiversity) and user-friendliness, in order to suggest improvements which benefit both partners; Together building up systems to make farming for landscapes and biodiversity economically sustainable, so that farmers get a just reward for their work and greater independence from subsidies. The tourism sector, or, to be exact, that part of it which deals in rural and nature-based tourism and recreation, benefits from the preservation of landscape and biodiversity. Therefore, as follow-up, establish links to representatives of the tourism sector (partnership broadening).

14. Three partnership themes

15. Practical suggestions on how to carry out the tasks proposed under the three themes

16. Partners: • Rhön-Nature.V. (lead) • Associationfor Traditional Rural Landscapes • Agora • Agrolink • Central Balkans National Park • Daphne • Keskkonnaamet • LatvijasDabas Fonds • Nimfea • Veeakker • WeidevereinRamsargebietLafnitztal “Building up a central and eastern European cooperation in nature conservation-oriented grassland use – TRINET” DBU project reference 27227-33/2 1/1/2009- 31/12/2010

17. Task: Information gathering Collect basic information on the situation in EE, LV, SK, HU, RO, BG: • what grasslands are there? • what are the trends and threats? • which grasslands require the most urgent attention? • what sort of Rural Development Programmes exist which could support ‘farming grassland for nature’? • any problems and gaps which are already known? • Which local initiatives and stakeholder networks exist for multifunctional grassland farming for nature? • Where are there already farms working in favour of landscape and biodiversity which can be supported/ strengthened? • Where are there farmers interested in also starting multifunctional grassland farming for nature ? = ‘Atlas’ of initiatives in favour of grassland farming for nature

18. Task: Elaborating practical projects Internal ‘library’ and distribution channel for the TRINET network disseminating: • available best practice in management of high nature-value grasslands • business model for managing supply chain and production costs in direct marketing of meat • best practice/lessons learnt in fattening/finishing livestock and providing regionally-sourced fodder • known research on quality of grassland meat • information on biogas and biomass hay Interactive web forum and chatroom: http://trinetgrassland.wetpaint.com/ • “Pre-implementation workshops”, one per country • Invited: representatives from the initiatives or possible future initiatives for ‘grassland farming for nature’. • Outcome of the pre-implementation workshops: one or more potential projects per country which have a real chance of succeeding on the ground, with genuinely motivated and reliable grassland users.

19. After the workshops? • Elaborate the potential TRINET follow-up projects selected in/after the workshops into ready-to-finance project proposals • Look for likely sources of funding for these follow-up projects • End result: follow-up projects which are either ready to apply for funding, or which have already been submitted to donors and where we are waiting the donor decisions. • + two networking conferences: Rhön (spring 2010), Loipersdorf (Nov.-Dec. 2010)

20. Thank you for your attention!