Agri-environment scheme developed based on follow-up studies
"New water protection measures are designed for the agri-environment scheme. The project concerning efficient water protection in agriculture launched in south-western Finland by means of funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of the Environment aims to develop, test and implement these measures together with the local agricultural entrepreneurs". This is what Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sirkka-Liisa Anttila and Minister of the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen told today at a seminar where studies on the effectiveness of the agri-environment scheme were presented.
Agri-environment support has increased the environmental awareness of farmers and had positive impacts on farming practises. The conditions for the support have been prepared in broadly-based working groups where in addition to administration, advisory bodies and farmers also the research institutes, Agrifood Research Finland MTT and Finnish Environment Institute SYKE have been represented. The results of the follow-up study of the agri-environment scheme are also used in developing the scheme.
Environmental support has contributed to the reduction of nitrogen use per hectare by more than 25% and the use of phosphorus by 60% since 1995. However, changes in the state of the environment take quite a long time. The natural conditions and changing climate conditions also influence the amounts of nutrient loading from soil to waters a great deal.
Direct discharges from livestock buildings and manure stores have all but stopped thanks to repairs of the buildings and constructions. The timing, places and methods of manure spreading have also been changed to improve water protection and the utilisation of nutrients. Important practices in arable farming include fertilisation according to the needs of the plants and local conditions, filter strips along waters, reduced tillage of arable lands and increase in plant cover, and use of pesticides strictly based on the need.
In the new agri-environment scheme applied since 2007 the maximum fertilisation quantities have been further reduced and the conditions for using animal manure as fertiliser are now even stricter than before. These revisions were also suggested by the authors of the follow-up study.
Needs for development in the future
"When preparing the agri-environment scheme to be applied from 2013 onwards we should examine whether the basic environmental payment could be based on a simple, farm-specific nutrient calculation. In this model the farms would be rewarded for a good utilisation ratio of nutrients. This kind of vision would allow us to direct the payments to the risk areas for nutrient loading", said Minister of the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen.
Of the nutrient loading from agriculture 80% comes from sloping arable lands. Minister Tiilikainen pointed out that, to prevent nutrient leaching from sloping lands, we need more perennial grasses which can be utilised in, for example, the crop rotation of organic farming or biogas production. Direct sowing should be applied in sloping cereal fields.
According to both ministers, organic farming is important for water protection. At the moment the market situation of especially the organic cereal is very good and new contracts on organic production are again concluded this spring.
Further information:
Minna-Mari Kaila, Special Adviser to Minister Anttila, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 9 1605 3302, +358 40 775 6060, [email protected]
Sini Wallenius, Senior Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 9 1605 4234, [email protected]
Hanna Ekman, Special Adviser to Minister Tiilikainen, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 400 873 743, [email protected]