1. Task Force on Material Flow Accounts 3-4 May 2012
Domestic extraction - grazed biomass
Johan Selenius

2. Data needs Grasslands cover ca 40% of UAA, main input for ruminants
Balances:
Land and Soil budget: Fodder output
Farm budget: Imported animal feed
Fodder consumption Estimation of excretion coefficients using animal input/output balances
Economy Wide Material Flow Accounts
Regionalisation/differentiation: Fertiliser input, grazing etc
Grasslands cover 40% of the UAA, grass is a main input in ruminant diets, fertilisers are used to increase grassland production, however there is no basic data on production available in many MS.
Data on fodder are needed to estimate nutrients removed from the soil with harvest and grazing if the soil or land budget is estimated.
Data on imported animal feed is needed to estimate the farm budget.
Data on animal feed (imported and home produced) are needed to estimate excretion coefficients using animal input/output balances. (Excretion coefficients may however not be needed to estimated on an annual base (at least not for all livestock types)).
Economy Wide Material Flow Accounts require data on harvested and grazed biomass.
There may be a need to estimate grassland production at lower national levels or at a more specific differentiation. Grassland output is depending among others on fertiliser inputs, grazing/mowing practices, intensity of farming etc. These factors vary across different grasslands systems and perhaps yields may also vary between regions due to climate differences etc.

3. Estimation of harvested and grazed biomass in MFA
Supply-side approach: crop production statistics, Economic Accounts of Agriculture, area * yield assumptions etc
Demand-side approach: animal feed requirements and animal input/output balances
Cross checking supply-side approach and demand-side approach
Control measures:
N in animal feed = N in animal product/NUE
N in home-produced animal feed = N in animal feed – N in imported animal feed.
The Economy Wide Material Flow Accounts describes two approaches to estimate harvested and grazed biomass:
Supply-side approach: crop production statistics, Economic Accounts of Agriculture, area * yield assumptions etc
Demand-side approach: animal feed requirements and animal input/output balances
It is recommended to cross check the supply-side approach with the demand-side approach and vice versa.
Other control measures which are recommended are:
Once sufficient Nitrogen Use efficiencies have been established these can be used to check the estimated N in animal feed by dividing the N in animal product by NUE.
The estimated N in home-produced animal feed can be checked by N in animal feed – N in imported animal feed.

4. Outcome TF on GNB (1)
Animal feed imports and sales; problem to convert in nutrient content
Data on yields only available at NUTS0 crop statistics
Regional variation can be expected: intensity farming system, climate differences etc data are needed at regional level
Data on nutrient contents need to be improved
grants crop nutrient contents
grassland products/silage maize major part of ruminant diet: nutrient contents may need to be updated regularly
TF need for improved data on fodder production and especially grassland was expressed as data on feed intake are an important component in the estimation of excretion coefficients with an animal input/output approach (as recommended by DireDate) and are an important determinant of GHG emissions from livestock.
Some countries have data on animal feed imports and sales available; however a problem in some countries is how to translate the amount in nutrient contents.
Data on the harvested production of fodder (except grassland) are available from a harmonised European data source (the crop production statistics) at NUTS0 level. Data at NUTS2 level are not available from a harmonised European data source. Regional crop production data may however be available in the MS. Yields are likely to vary across regions due to differences in climate and weather conditions, farmer practices (for instance irrigation, use of fertilisers etc) may also vary between regions. To estimate accurate withdrawals of nutrients with the harvest of crops at regional level, regional variations in yields considered significant need to be taken into account. It may therefore be necessary to collect regional yield data for the main crops. If farmer practices influencing yield are not expected to vary significantly between regions in a climatic zone, collecting data on yields per climatic zone may also be sufficient.
For most crops it is assumed that the nutrient contents are on average rather constant across years and across regions. In the NL data on nutrient contents of grassland products and silage maize are available from a large sample of measurements from dairy farms for many years. These data show significant downward trend in the nutrient content of these products across years a.o. due to a significant decrease in fertilisers used on these crops. As grassland products and fodder from arable land are a major part of the diet of ruminants (and therefore in the calculation of excretion coefficients using an input/output balance) it may be necessary to update these coefficients at a regular base. Fodder nutrient contents will be taken into account in the contact on crop nutrient contents see document CPSA/AEI/100.
grassland products/silage maize major part of ruminant diet  large effect on excretion coefficients (when coefficients take animal feed into account). May vary significantly due to changing farmer practices (changing animal feed is one of the main abatement measures)  nutrient contents may need to be updated regularly

5. Outcome TF on GNB (2) Grassland production: Different approaches:
Yield factor * area
Farmer survey
N in animal feed = N in excretion + N in animal product
N in grass = N feed requirements – N in other feed
Need to be able take into account changing farmer practices
Need to be estimated annually
Need to be able at regional level
Control measures are needed
Crosschecking demand and supply-approaches
TF: participants agreed that the most urgent need is to establish data on grassland production. Data on harvested and grazed grass are not available in many MS or data improvements are needed. estimation of grassland production is complicated. Grass is not only harvested in different ways (for hay, silage or fresh fodder) but grass is also grazed. Farmers usually do not keep a precise record of the amounts of grass harvested. The amount of grass grazed by animals is particularly difficult to measure.
Grassland production estimated in several ways: applying a yield-factor to the grassland area based on scientific research, surveying farmers, measurements in a selected sample of farms, modelling etc. The approach used has a significant impact on the estimated result and therefore on the outcome of the balance as well. For instance grass yield estimations from research farms are generally higher than from a farm survey, due to the fact that research farms are often more intensive and productive than the average farm. Methods used by the farmer also determine the accuracy of the result, are the products harvested weighed to determine the amount, or is the harvest estimated from the average height of grass in a field etc.
Some methodologies (for instance constant per ha rates) do not capture well changing farmer practices. Reducing grazing livestock will normally lead to a lower grassland production, this is not taken into account when constant rates are used.
Some participants mentioned data on fodder and grassland production is collected with a survey.
fodder intake can be estimated from excretion. N in excreta = N in animal feed - N in animal product. N in animal feed= N in excretion + N in animal product. However this approach is less sensitive to farmer changes as fixed excretion coefficients are used.
NL estimates grassland production with a fodder balance: the consumption of grass grazed is the balancing item of the equation with on the left side the animal energy requirements and on the right side the intake from grass grazed and other feed intake. This approach has the advantage that it reflects changes in farmer practices. Results show a decreasing trend which is in line with the decreasing level of grassland fertilisation. The fodder balance is used as an input in the estimation of excretion coefficients.
grassland major output of the GNB  methodology used impacts outcome significantly, necessary to invest in developing a harmonised approach across Europe. The EW-MFA describe two approaches to estimate fodder production and grazed biomass: supply side and demand side approach. TF: both approaches are needed to cross-check and improve the estimations.
TF method should be able to capture changes in farmer practices, and data should be estimated at an annual rate.

6. Outcome TF on GNB (3) Differentiate Grasslands:
by production potential (fertiliser inputs, grazing/mowing practices, intensity of farming etc)
by environmental potential (High Nature Value grassland, rotational grasslands, other less biologically valuable grasslands)
by frequency of grassland cut (the more cuts, the more intensive).
How to consider areas with grazing but not classified as grassland?
Grassland output is depending on fertiliser inputs, grazing/mowing practices, intensity of farming etc. These factors vary across different grasslands systems and perhaps yields may also vary between regions due to climate differences etc.
Participants agreed that there is a need to differentiate grasslands (more detailed land-use data) and to estimate grassland production at a regional level. One suggestion would be to classify grasslands according to their production potential (fertiliser inputs, grazing/mowing practices, intensity of farming etc). Grasslands could also be classified according to their environmental potential (High Nature Value grassland, rotational grasslands, other less biologically valuable grasslands). Classification could be linked to the frequency of grassland cut (the more cuts, the more intensive). Classifying grasslands as intensive or extensive is a politically sensitive question. Open questions raised by participants were: How to consider areas with grazing but not classified as grassland, like the Spanish Dehesa? How are grasslands defined in the UNFCCC?

7. Actions
Participation in the conference of the European Grassland Federation in June 2012
Launch of a tender on grassland production:
Methodologies grassland production
Classification grasslands
Workshop with experts
Results discussed in WG meetings
Potentially grants on pilot actions in 2014/2015
Eurostat considers participating in a scientific conference in June 2012 in Poland organised by the European Grassland Federation (EGF[1]). There is a possibility for us to organise a side event at this conference (3 June 2012) where we could discuss practices and guidelines to estimate grassland production with participating experts.

8. Tender Other objectives: Overall objective:
To bring clarity into the issue of defining, classifying, collecting and disseminating data on European grassland areas, use and production.
Other objectives:
To create an overview of the different types of grasslands, specific focus on uses and production, non-grass pastures to be included (heather, ligneous pasture, wooded pasture, legume pastures);
To suggest classifications allowing different types of analyses to be made;
To create recommendations on data collection allowing the creation of coherent European datasets. Must take into account added value in relation to costs, respondent burden, and other limiting factors.

9. Tasks Defining and classifying grasslands
Describe the different types of grasslands throughout Europe with key features, provide examples on how to best distinguish/differentiate the grassland types. Explore an enlarged definition to pastures other than grasslands
Currently used methodologies to estimate grassland production and biological fixation
Review the various methodologies used to estimate grassland production and biological fixation in grasslands
Identify characteristics to be taken into account in the classification of grasslands
Give guidelines for methodologies to estimate grassland production, including on checks and validation

10. Tasks (2) Grassland definition and classification
Present various possibilities of classifying grasslands, depending on what kind of data that is required, with SWOT analyses of the suggested approaches, with specific focus on statistical data collection and dissemination
Existing grassland surveys
Describe the situation in each Member States, the existing surveys or the lack of such

11. Tasks (3) Methods for data collection Expert/ statistician workshop
List the characteristics needed to be collected and possible strategies to collect these data. Suggest various possible definitions, analysed for strengths and weaknesses in the proposed approaches
Expert/ statistician workshop