estonian approaches to implementing nitrates directive

Estonian approaches to Implementation of Nitrogen

Directive

Ain KendraJäneda Training and Advisory Center

ESTONIA

Regional Workshop on Agricultural Nutrient Reduction Road to Compliance with EU Nitrate Directive

Ain Kendra - Vilnius - 14.09.2004 2

Content

• Few basic facts• Transition of agriculture• Regional differences• Definition of Nitrogen-sensitive areas• Monitoring of nitrogen in waters• ACTION PLAN• Measures to reduce nitrogen (investment)


Basic facts on Estonia

• Population – 1,356 million• Area – 45,225 km2

• Forest – over 50%• Agricultural land – under 33%• Water – inland waterbodies 6,2% of territory

– 1150 lakes & 420 rivers (over 10 km length)


Transition of agriculture 1990-2003

• Agricultural reform – Farming Law 1989 – 12,000 farms before reform– 1991 - quick destruction of soviet system (350 farms)– Privatization of buildings & machinery

• Land reform 1993 still not completed (definition)– Restitution (1939) of possible, to former owners– Privatization to current users

• Agricultural employment– 1990 – 136,800– 2000 – 28,700


Agricultural Land Use – 1980-2003

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003

Field crops

AGR LAND (UAA)

6Ain Kendra - Vilnius - 14.09.2004

Land use (stat)vs IACS Field Register

0,743 to 0,836 (3)0,652 to 0,743 (6)0,561 to 0,652 (2)0,47 to 0,561 (1)0,379 to 0,47 (2)

Use of land resources

7Ain Kendra - Vilnius - 14.09.2004

Livestock 1980-2003

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1980 19851990 1995 2000 2001 2002 20030

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Cattle

Pigs

Sheep & Goats

Horses

Poultry


Livestock (relative) concentrationLivestock

density0,27 to 0,315 (3)0,212 to 0,27 (2)0,183 to 0,212 (4)0,143 to 0,183 (2)0,104 to 0,143 (4)

Livestock concentrationrelative

5,2

cattleporkpoultry


Arable land fertility

44,9 to 50,4 (26)43,7 to 44,9 (17)41 to 43,7 (21)39,8 to 41 (14)38,6 to 39,8 (21)36,6 to 38,6 (21)35,5 to 36,6 (18)33,9 to 35,5 (21)31,5 to 33,9 (18)22,5 to 31,5 (21)

Soil map – best areas for agriculture


Nitrate sensitive area• 30 years of nitrate history – research• 1998 Pandivere water protection area established• 2003 Pandivere-Adavere nitrate-sensitive area (NVZ) has

been established– Pandivere Upland – ground water accumulation area, a lot of karst

springs, impact for almost all territory– Põltsamaa-Adavere limestone plateau – relatively thin soil cover on

limestone bedrock, also karst areas, impact mostly local, identified as nitrate concentration over 50 mg/l

– 10% of Estonia, involving three counties, NVZ covers ca 160,000 ha of arable land


Map of Nitrogen-sensitive areas


Monitoring

• National water quality monitoring network functioning from 1992, earlier study-based

• From 2002 the network revised, according to requirements of ND• Level – comparable data available from 1980-s in Adavere, much

earlier periods in Pandivere• Production level (intensity) below half (< 0,5 LU/ha), total

nitrogen below normatives, but vulnerable and dangerous if/when production level will be restored

• Nitrate levels depending on water quantities, difficult to make deeper conclusions from figures depending more on weather than agriculture


NO3 in groundwater


Nitrate ion in wells


N (general) – mg N /l - in rivers


Watershed Management Plans


Problems in NVZ

• Problems– Low quality of small drinking water sources– Poor water quality in surface water bodies– Poor groundwater quality in close areas of large farms

• Causes– Unprotected groundwater, carst areas– Information on good practices– Land use and manure management, not balanced fertilizer use– Point source of liquids (slurry, silage juice, wastewater)– Lack of funds – rural population to build deeper wells or water

networks


Action Plan

• Action Plan for the nitrate sensitive Pandivere and Adavere-Põltsamaa area for the years 2004-2008– Approved by regulation 318-k, 30.04.2004– To limit impact of pollution caused by

agricultural production on surface and ground water


AP - purposes

1. To co-ordinate agricultural and water management activities in the field of preservation of soil fertility and water management.

2. To support through information dissemination and training the use of all the manure for fertilising.3. To guide agricultural land use so that the soil fertility would be preserved.4. To find out, based on pilot studies, the possibilities of applying best from the point of view of soil

and water protection available technologies and agricultural practices as well as optimal support schemes in nitrate sensitive areas.

5. To preserve the mostly good status of groundwater.6. To preserve the mostly good status of surface waters.7. To preserve the habitats of salmonids in watercourses.8. To assist in supplying the population with healthy drinking water.9. To ensure the required control, assessment, and databases of environmental monitoring and

reporting. 10. To achieve a better compatibility in the next implementation period between agricultural and

water management development plans, Estonian National Development Plan and Development plan of Estonian rural regions for the years 2004 to 2006


Obligatory measures (1 – winter, slopes)

• Period when use of fertilisers is prohibited: spreading of organic and mineral fertilisers is banned from 1 November to 31 March;

• Limited use of fertilisers on slopes: spreading of fertilisers on arable land the slope of which exceeds 10% is prohibited. Where the slope is 5–10%, surface spreading is not allowed from 1 November to 15 April;


Obligatory measures (2 - winter)

• Limited use of fertilisers on waterlogged, flooded, frozen or snow covered land: spreading of organic and mineral fertilisers is banned from 1 November to 31 March or when the land is covered with snow, frozen or waterlogged, as well as in periodically flooded sanitary protection zones and water protection zones of water bodies.


Obligatory measures (3 – water bodies)

• Use of fertilisers near water bodies: in the water protection zone of a water body fertilising is prohibited. For lakes, reservoirs, rivers and canals the width of the protection zone is 10 metres from the water’s edge, and 1 metre for artificial recipients of drainage systems until they fall into a natural watercourse.


Obligatory measures (4 – manure, silage)

• Requirements for manure and silage storages: – all farm buildings in which over 10 animal units of animals are

kept, must have, depending upon the kind of animals, a manure storage or a manure storage and a dung water pit;

– livestock - capacity for containing the manure and dung water of eight months; avoiding access of surface and ground water; leak proof; watertight;

– on arable land only solid manure heaps that can be used in one vegetation period are allowed;

– silage storages watertight; silage juice conducted into special tanks or dung water storages; at least 10 litres of juice per 1 m3 of the silage storage capacity.


Obligatory measures (5 - fertilizer)

• Maximum application amounts of fertilisers: – the average allowed amount of nitrogen that is

applied to arable land with combined organic and mineral fertilisers is 170 kg per hectare per year;

– for mineral fertilisers only this amount is 140 kg per hectare per year; amounts of mineral nitrogen exceeding 100 kg must be applied partially.


AP - implementation

• Ministry of Environment– Environmental Inspection– Environmental Departments in 3 counties– Environment Information Centre

• Ministry of Agriculture– Plant Production Inspectorate– ARIB– Jäneda Training- and Advisory Centre

• Ministries of Social and Internal Affairs (involved on drinking water)

• Council of Nitrate Sensitive Area


Actions

• Training of civil servants• Guidelines• Training of agricultural advisors• Pilot studies• Training and consulting in situ of producers• Protection of recharge areas of groundwater intakes• Healthy drinking water for private users• Programme for control, assessment, monitoring, fulfilling &

coordination• NSA protection obligation notices & reports• Harmonizing actions of WMP, NDP, RDP


Funding (‘000 EEK)15,64 EEK = EUR

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

MoE 500 1700 1900 1600 2600

MoA 1600** 2300** 2100 1500 4100

Total 2600* 4500* 4000 3100*** 6700****- BRSP co-funding ca 500 KEEK in 2004, same in 2005 – pilot studies, consulting**- TA of RDP (80% EU, 20% EST)***- to be specified in detail in programming of 2007-2012 (RDP)


Measures

• Investment support – structural funds (SPD)• Rural Development Program

– Meeting EU standards (manure measure)– Agri-environment

• Commercial lending– HELCOM - BRSP project

• NEFCO commercial loan• WB – GEF grant• Environmental training

– Usual commercial lending


Investment support – Measure 3.1

– Barn – incl manure storage & management• Max 9,4 million EEK/year• 2004 – 9 new manure storage facilities, 2 rec. (11,8+2,9M)• 2004 – 12 manure removal equipment (1,8M)

– Plant protection – incl manure spreading• Max 3,1 million EEK/year• 2004 – 9 manure spreaders (3,4M)• 2004 – 42 fertilizers/seeders (1,9M)

• Support of up to 50% – LFA +10%, young farmers +5%

• Unfortunately, too high interest of beneficiaries to this measure has resulted in exceeding of estimated allocations, next years budget significantly reduced


Manure transport


Manure storage facilities


Manure spreading


RDP – support to meet EU req

• At least 10 LU – cattle, pig, sheep, goat• Registered building (barn), investment plan, every

year investment• First year – 2004:2006 (8.10-5.11.2004)• Yearly investment completed by 5.11 next year• By latest end of 2008 meets EU req• Grant 1252 EEK/LU/y up to 3 years • Max 391.165 EEK/y 1.175.945 EEK total


RDP – Agri-environment

• Sub-measures:– Environment-friendly production– Organic farming– Endangered species

• Applications 17.05-15.06.2004• 2004 applied:

– EFP – 464,000 ha– Organic farming - 42,000 ha


Agri-Environment – req-d

• Main requirements– Field record– Manure <170 kg N/y/ha– No fertilizers & plant protection on natural grasslands– Accounting of veterinary substances

• EFP (environment-friendly production)– Fertilizing plan, max 170 kg incl mineral <100 kg– Crop rotation– pH & nutrient analyzes– Grassland management– Training


Agri-Environment - money

• EFP – field crops - 714 EEK/ha– grasslands - 331 EEK/ha

• excl seminatural grassland (2004 - MoE)

• Organic farming– Grassland management - 1156 EEK/ha

• At least 0,1 LU/ha, >50% organic livestock– Field crops - 1516 EEK/ha– Vegetable, orchards - 3764 EEK/ha

• Estonian Horse – 2550 EEK/y


BSRP-GEF-NEFCO grant/loan

• Training for all participants – environment and management issues

• NEFCO loan• GEF grant to reduce interest payments• Estonia –

– 20 farmers trained– first case approval received, starting bidding

procedures (according to WB rules, International Shopping)


Commercial Lending

• Milk farms have been bought up by local financial investors

• Pig production largely owned by meat processing industries

• If by end of 2008 the requirements are still not OK – closing livestock farming

• Milk farms are relatively good investment also for commercial lending

• Problems are more related to pork and poultry sectors – too high production concentration


Open questions – data comparability & scalability

• (semi-) industrial livestock / poultry & land relation– Country–NUTS-NSA-region-farm–field level– NSA does not follow any administrative boundaries– Livestock Units / ha

• L.U. – pork-poultry? Which area? – No land, manure distribution contract based, but no such contract register– No interest for contracts from crop producers – manure fertilizing quality poor

• Ha – Available? Utilized? Feeding? Rearing?

• Kg N /ha /year (or manure tons)– Ha – of this year fertilized? Manure impact longer than year– UAA? Excluding seminatural grasslands? Arable?


Land

• Field register = eligible for area-based subsidies– EU - IACS = Utilized (UAA) + temp. unused

• UAA = Arable + natural grasslands• Arable = fields + cultivated grasslands• grasslands

– 1 year (in crop rotation)– 2 to 5 years (lately renewed)– 5 to 10 years (statistics count already as natural grassland)– Over 10 years (but on mineral land, probably renewed soon)– Natural & seminatural grasslands, never to renew but to restore


Thank you for attention

Jäneda Training and Advisory Center – www.janeda.eeAin Kendra - [email protected] Rooma – [email protected]

Ministry of Agriculture – www.agri.eeKatrin Rannik – [email protected]

estonian approaches to implementing nitrates directive

Documents