Relevance of GNB for CAP monitoring and evaluation system Unit AGRI-H.1 - “Environment, Genetic Resources and European Innovation Partnership”

Rural Development Policy Community Strategic Guidelines Three priority areas for measures related to environment: Biodiversity, High Nature Value farming and forestry systems, and traditional agricultural landscapes Water Climate change Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Common indicators applicable to each programme Several AEIs are included among the baseline and result CMEF indicators Community Strategic Guideline for AXIS 2: “To protect and enhance the EU’s natural resources and landscapes in rural areas, the resources devoted to axis 2 should contribute to three EU-level priority areas: biodiversity and the preservation and development of high nature value farming and forestry systems and traditional agricultural landscapes; water; and climate change. The measures available under axis 2 should be used to integrate these environmental objectives and contribute to the implementation of the agricultural and forestry Natura 2000 network, to the Göteborg commitment to reverse biodiversity decline by 2010, to the objectives laid down in Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (1), and to the Kyoto Protocol targets for climate change mitigation.” COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators

Need for AEIs in support of the policy process AEIs serve a variety of policy purposes: provide information on the farmed environment track the impact of agriculture on the environment assess the impact of agricultural and environmental policies on the environmental management of farms illustrate agri-environmental relationships to the broader public AEIs are necessary to: assess the impact of policy decisions identify shortcomings in current measures and needs for new ones improve the targeting and tailoring of measures to local conditions COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators

The recent developments of the CAP call for: better monitoring of changes in agricultural production systems / land use patterns at regional level, and their positive and negative effects on the environment A coherent system of AEIs must be able to: reflect the regional diversity of agricultural production systems and natural conditions capture the main positive and negative effects of agriculture on the environment COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators

Water quality: Gross Nutrient Balances Status: Lead Indicator Measurement: Surplus of nutrient per ha (Kg/ha) Provides an estimate of the potential surplus of nitrogen on agricultural land, based on statistical information on the amounts of mineral fertiliser applied, organic fertiliser production, nitrogen fixed in the soil, atmospheric deposition of nitrogen compounds, seeds and planting material, and amounts of harvested crops and forage. Sub-indicators: GNB and GPB « IRENA » stands for Indicator Reporting on the Integration of Environmental Concerns into Agricultural Policy COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators

Water quality: Gross Nutrient Balances Level: RDP level (national/regional) Sources: Eurostat, OECD, Member State Related CMEF indicators: Water quality - Pollution by nitrates and pesticides Evaluation of indicators: All indicators have been evaluated according to their actual usefulness, focusing on the following key aspects: policy relevance, responsiveness, analytical soundness, data availability and measurability, ease of interpretation, and cost effectiveness. An evaluation framework was built to classify the indicators in three categories: ‘useful’, ‘potentially useful’ and ‘low potential’. The high overall scores indicate more usefulness than the lower scores. COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators

Need for a permanent and stable arrangement A fully operational indicator system requires establishing a permanent and stable arrangement: under the lead of Eurostat on the basis of a close co-operation with the Statistical Offices and the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment of the MS in collaboration with other European bodies (e.g., EEA) for the systematic collection of the data needed for developing, compiling, maintaining and updating the indicators This long-term project requires the support and the full participation and commitment of the Member States, in particular as regards the collection and delivery of the necessary data. COM(2006)508 - Development of agri-environmental indicators