122 February 2008

Coordination meeting for grants on PILOT SURVEYS ON THE USE OF FERTILISERS

22 February 2008

Commission Communication on AEI and related issues

22 February 2008 2

Main conclusions of COM(2006)508:

streamlining the IRENA indicator set, while strengthening its relevance for policy purposes;

consolidating the selected set of indicators, extending the coverage to the new Member States and correcting existing weaknesses;

setting up a permanent and stable arrangement needed for the long-term functioning of the indicator system.

22 February 2008 3

Council of Agriculture and Fisheries 19-21.12. 2007 A coherent set of agri-environmental indicators is required to

capture the regional diversity of agriculture and environmental conditions as well as their positive and negative influences;

need for comparable data at the appropriate geographical level, and covering the whole Community, using, as far as possible, existing data sources and data collection structures;

the list of indicators could be adjusted as a result of policy requirements or on the basis of experience with the further development of the indicators and their use in policy making;

close account should be taken of the costs and resource implications of any new initiative related to data collection that goes beyond existing legal requirements;

a long-term information system for monitoring environmental integration to be set up, with the help of the CPSA.

22 February 2008 4

Chosen Indicators Operational indicators, for which the concept and measurement are well-defined and for which data are available at national and, where appropriate, at regional level

Indicators that are well defined, but cannot realise their full information potential due to a lack of regional data or weaknesses in the modelling approaches on which they are based

Indicators that need substantial improvements in order to become fully operational. These include indicators that have conceptual limitations or are not well defined and indicators where the quality of existing data needs to be improved, new data collection systems need to be set up, or where modelling tools need to be further developed

22 February 2008 5

Memorandum of Understanding

The purpose of the MoU is to establish the basis for cooperation between AGRI, ENV, JRC, EEA and Eurostat on AEI.

The MoU is still a draft, but a hopefully discussion near an end.

The primary aim of the AEI is to

assess the impact of the CAP on the environment,

identify shortcomings in current measures and needs for new policy initiatives

improve the targeting and tailoring of measures

evaluate the effect on the integration strategy

The AEI will mainly be used to fulfil Commission information needs, but

will also be disseminated to the general public

22 February 2008 6

Memorandum of Understanding (II)

Short and medium-term objectives: Consolidating the selected set of 28 agri-environmental indicators listed and extending their coverage to the new Member States Correcting the existing weaknesses that currently restrict the usefulness of certain indicators.

Long-term objective: Establishing a permanent and stable arrangement needed for the management and long-term functioning of the indicator system

It is agreed that the list of AEI will be subject to further adjustments due to policy changes or on the basis of the experience or use

The objectives cannot be achieved without the full cooperation of the Member States

22 February 2008 7

Memorandum of Understanding (III)

A lead institution will be assigned for each indicator. This role includes drafting and updating the AEI fact sheets, compiling the indicator, consulting other partners, coordinating the work to be done, prepare progress reports and work programs

All partners are collaborating in data collection and management, improving concepts and methodology, modelling and data

Eurostat will have a general coordination role of activities, and especially related to cooperation with Member States, which will be handled through the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics

An Annex describes for each indicator the responsible institution(s) for data collection and management, conceptual and methodological improvement, model improvement, data improvement.

DG AGRI and ENV will make the administrative and data coming from reporting requirements available, where possible.

22 February 2008 8

Memorandum of Understanding (IV)

Eurostat will take the lead for those indicators that are closely related to the European statistical system. DG AGRI will take the lead for indicators where they collect administrative information or that have a specific political interest and/or that have not yet been fully developed. DG ENV will take a lead for indicators where the policy developments have been assigned mainly to them, for example on pesticide risks. DG JRC will take the lead for those indicators relying on the pan- European geo-environmental databases or where models need to be built and/or research undertaken. EEA will take the lead in areas where the responsibility has been assigned mainly to this institution and that are associated with data flows linked to EEA Eionet.

22 February 2008 9

Memorandum of Understanding (V)

Eurostat will have the lead to establish the long-term indicator system, in collaboration with the other partners. Eurostat will be responsible for the official consultations with the Member States on the system, through the SCAS. The partners will continue to work on their indicators through their normal networks and meeting structures. Once a permanent and stable arrangement is established, Eurostat will

take over responsibility for the functioning, if there are no other agreements indicating different procedures. The other partners will continue to support Eurostat in these tasks

22 February 2008 10

Memorandum of Understanding (VI)

The main output of the work will be the Fact sheets with definitions and measurement(s), links with other indicators, key messages, factual results, a description of the data used with clear warnings on data issues, references to further reading/information. Meta data, describing data concepts, definitions and classifications scope / coverage, accounting conventions, nature of the basic data, compilation practices, integrity, quality, other dissemination, using the Eurostat formats A dedicated indicator website on the Eurostat website Data in the Eurostat NewCronos database

Eurostat will evaluate the information provided by the other partners to determine if it is of suitable quality for dissemination.

22 February 2008 11

Operational indicators

No Title Main data source

2 Agricultural areas under Natura 2000 ENV database

4 Area under organic farming AGRI admin. Data, FSS

7 Irrigation FSS

12 Intensification/extensification FADN, FSS

13 Specialisation FSS

19 Greenhouse gas emissions UNFCCC reports, EEA

22 February 2008 12

Indicators that are well defined (I)

No Title Main data source

1 Agri-environmental commitments AGRI admin. data

3 Farmers’ training levels and environmental farm advisory services

FSS, AGRI admin. data

5 Mineral fertiliser consumption New fertiliser survey

8 Energy use Energy stats, FADN

9 Land use change OECD/Eurostat joint questionnaire/CLC/ LUCAS

10 Cropping/Livestock patterns FSS

11 Farm management practices FSS, new SAPM

15 Gross nitrogen balance New data collection

22 February 2008 13

Indicators that are well defined (II)

No Title Main data source

18 Ammonia emissions UNECE/EMEP reports

21 Soil erosion JRC soil database

24 Production of renewable energy FSS, admin. and other sources

25 Population trends of farmland birds Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring project

27 Water quality – Nitrate pollution, Pesticide pollution

Eurowaternet

22 February 2008 14

Indicators that need substantial improvements

No Title Main data source

6 Consumption of pesticides New pesticide survey

14 Risk of land abandonment Modelling

16 Risk of pollution by phosphorous New data collection

17 Pesticide risk Modelling

20 Water abstraction SAPM, modelling

22 Genetic diversity FAO

23 High nature value farmland Modelling and data improvement

26 Soil quality JRC soil database

28 Landscape – state and diversity Modelling

22 February 2008 15

5. Mineral fertiliser consumption; leader: Eurostat

Main data source: FAO, EFMA

Main indicator: Application rate by crop of:

N (nitrogen) P (Phosphorus)

Supporting indicators: Absolute volumes of:

N (nitrogen) P (Phosphorus)

Eurostat is looking into the possibility of setting up a new survey on fertilisers. A first meeting on the issue took place in February 2007, in the FSS working group. A call for proposals was issued in summer 2007, 15 were contracts signed. First coordination meeting 22.2 2008.

22 February 2008 16

15. Gross nitrogen balance; leader: Eurostat

Main data source: OECD/Eurostat, new data collection from MS

Main indicator: Potential surplus of nitrogen on agricultural land (kg N/ha/year).

Supporting indicators: Not defined

The model for calculating the gross nitrogen balance is developed. The regional data are not always available, especially on the use of mineral fertilisers. The underlying coefficients are also not always available.

Eurostat has signed 9 TAPAS grants actions in 2007. A first coordination meeting was arranged in September 2007 and a second one will be arranged in May 2008. The results of the actions will show whether there is a need for further actions to improve the data and underlying coefficients. In parallel, Eurostat will design a system for collecting the data and for making the calculations.

22 February 2008 17

16. Risk of pollution by phosphorus; leader: DG ENV

Main data source: OECD/Eurostat, new data collection from MS

Main indicator: Potential surplus of phosphorus on agricultural land (kg P/ha/year)

Supporting indicators: Vulnerability to phosphorus leaching/run-off

See indicator 15 for main issues.

DG ENV will validate and improve the methodology proposed in a recent study “Addressing phosphorus related problems in farm practice” to better estimate the vulnerability of the area concerned to phosphorus leaching/run-off. The study proposes vulnerability classes, based on propensity for soil erosion and P absorption capacity.

22 February 2008 18

18. Ammonia emissions; leader: EEA

Main data source: UNFCCC and others

Main indicator: Share of agriculture in total ammonia emissions

Supporting indicators: Emissions of NH3 in tonnes (T) Distance to NEC targets

DG ENV and the EEA will improve the model providing the estimates of emissions with more accurate data on the size of different emission sources (including the contribution of agriculture to air pollution) as well as with improved emission coefficients.

The new SAPM will give better input data for the calculations.

22 February 2008 19

19. Greenhouse gas emissions; leader: EEA

Main data source: UNFCCC and others

Main indicator: Share of agriculture in GHG emissions

Supporting indicators: Emissions of Ktonnes CO2 equivalents

EEA will coordinate improvement of the model for estimating emissions thanks to the availability of better emission coefficients for methane and nitrous oxide and the cooperation with Member States needed to develop country-specific emission factors instead of the IPCC standard values.

DG ENV will assess the possibility of including data on stocks of soil and plant carbon.

The new SAPM will give better input data for the calculations.

22 February 2008 20

27.1. Water quality – Nitrate pollution; leader: EEA

Main data source: EUROWATERNET

Main indicator: Share of agriculture in total nitrate pollution

Supporting indicators: Nitrate concentration in water bodies

EEA will increase and harmonise transmission of national monitoring data to EIONET Water.

DG ENV will further explore the possibility of using data reported by Member States under the Nitrates Directive as part of a monitoring system to measure pollution from agriculture.