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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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