Agro-environmental Monitoring: a Tool for Evaluation and Support of Decision-making in Swiss Agricultural Policy

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1 Département fédéral de l économie DFE Office fédéral de l agriculture OFAG Agro-environmental Monitoring: a Tool for Evaluation and Support of Decision-making in Swiss Agricultural Policy, Federal Office for Agriculture, Bern 23 March 2010, Leysin

2 Legislative Basis Constitutional Article on agriculture (1997) Swiss agriculture shall meet the requirements of sustainable development Ordinance on the evaluation of the sustainability of agriculture: The three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental Article 6 environmental evaluation Using agro-environmental indicators At the national and regional levels and by type of farm Comparable at the international level In collaboration with the stakeholders 2

3 Objectives of Agro-environmental Monitoring Communication / information Comparison with other countries, between sectors and within sectors Support for setting objectives; monitoring of the achievement of objectives Evaluation tool Analyses ex post (and maybe ex ante) Tool to assist political decisionmaking (policy reforms) 3

4 Topic Set of Agro-environmental Indicators Driving forces: agricultural practices Environmental effects: agricultural processes State of the environment Nitrogen Nitrogen balance sheet for agriculture Potential emissions of nitrogen Level of pollution of groundwater by nitrate from agriculture Emissions of ammonia Phosphorus Phosphorus balance sheet for agriculture Phosphorus content of the soil Level of phosphorus from agriculture in lakes Energy / climate Use of energy in agriculture Energy efficiency Not obtainable Greenhouse gas emissions Water Use of plant protection products Risk of aquatic ecotoxicity Level of plant protection products in groundwater Use of veterinary medicinal products Soil Ground cover Risk of erosion Biodiversity / landscape Ecological compensation area (including quality) Flow of heavy metals Potential effect of agriculture on biodiversity Veterinary medicinal products: still open Level of heavy metals Diversity of wild species Diversity of habitats Distinctive elements of the landscape 4

5 Monitoring and Agricultural Policy No improvement in efficiency New programme since 2008: sustainable use of natural resources 5

6 Monitoring and Agricultural Policy 6

7 Monitoring and Agricultural Policy 7

8 Monitoring and Agricultural Policy 8

9 Monitoring and Political Consequences The indicators show stagnation The Federal Government wishes to increase efficiency in the use of financial resources to achieve the objectives of agricultural policy. so.. 9

10 Monitoring and Political Consequences New plan to develop direct payments (accepted in broad lines by the parliament): contributions for cultivated landscape contributions for security of supply contributions for biodiversity contributions for landscape quality contributions for animal well-being Eco-conditionality (dependency on environmental performance) maintained for all direct payments Implementation, adaptation, process of political adoption Launching of new direct payment system: planned for

11 Future needs Regionalisation of agricultural policy: monitoring by region and by type of farm Integration of agricultural practice into the models to calculate the indicators (not only structural evolution) Measuring of interactions between the economic and environmental results >>> data collected on farms Integration of the environmental impacts in modelling of future agricultural policy International level: methods harmonised for all agro-environmental problems 11

12 We are grateful for your interest and hope you enjoy your stay in Switzerland 12