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Data from November 2012. Planned update: June 2017.

This article provides a fact sheet of the European Union (EU) agri-environmental indicator agri-environmental commitments until 2012. It consists of an overview of data, complemented by all information on definitions, measurement methods and context needed to interpret them correctly. The agri-environmental commitments article is part of a set of similar fact sheets providing a complete picture of the state of the agri-environmental indicators in the EU.

Table 1: UAA enrolled in agri-environmental measures (ha) and share of UAA under agri-environmental measures (%), 2006 and 2009, EU-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 1: UAA under agri-environmental measures (ha), 2009, EU-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 2: Share of UAA under agri-environmental measures (%), 2006 and 2009, EU-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 3: UAA under agri-environmental measures (1 000 ha), 2006 and 2009, EU-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 4: Breakdown of UAA under agri-environment measures by type of action (%), 2009, EU-27 (contract signed and implemented since 2007, RDPs 2007-2013)
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 5: Breakdown of UAA under agri-environment measures by type of action by countries (%), 2009, EU-27 (contract signed and implemented since 2007, RDPs 2007-2013)
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 6: Share of UAA under different type of commitments (%), 2009, EU-27 (contract signed and implemented since 2007, RDPs 2007-2013)
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 7: Trend of EU expenditures on agri-environmental measures (million EUR), 1993-2010, EU-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Figure 8: Average annual expenditure on agri-environmental measures per hectare of UAA supported (EUR per ha), 2007-2009, EUR-27
Source: DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission

The indicator gives information on the agricultural area which is covered by agri-environmental measures and shows the implementation over time of this rural development scheme.

Main indicator:

Supporting indicators:

  • Area (ha) under agri-environmental commitments
  • Breakdown of area under agri-environmental commitments by type of action
  • Trends of EU expenditure on agri-environmental measures
  • Trends of annual expenditure on agri-environmental measures per ha supported
  • Share of agricultural holdings enrolled in agri-environmental measures

Main statistical findings 

Key messages

  • According to current figures, in 2009 the utilised agricultural area (UAA) enrolled in agri-environmental measures amounted to nearly 38.5 million ha and represented 20.9 % of the UAA in the EU-27. This share was significantly higher in the EU-15 (25.2 % or 33.5 million ha) than in 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (EU-N12)[1] (9.7 % or 5 million ha) and the level of implementation of the agri-environmental measures varied considerably among Member States.
  • Data on the area under agri-environmental contracts signed in 2006 and 2009 shows the different level of implementation of the agri-environmental scheme between these two years. In 2009 the total number of hectares enrolled in agri-environmental measures was 9 % lower than in 2006 in the EU-27 (excluding data for Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, France Luxembourg, Romania and Sweden). This percentage amounts to an average decrease of 1.6 percentage points of the share of the utilised agricultural area UAA under the agri-environmental scheme for the 20 Member States included in the calculation (from 23.3 % to 21.7 %). These figures, however, have to be taken with caution and interpreted correctly since the reduction of agri-environmental area between 2006 and 2009 may be attributed to different levels of implementation of the Rural Development Programmes in the considered periods. In the first years of the 2007 - 2013 period the Rural Development Programmes may have not yet reached their full implementation, whereas in 2006 the measures of the programming period 2000-2006 were fully implemented.
  • In 2009, the most important types of agri-environmental commitments in terms of area enrolled were those aimed at the management of landscape, pastures and high nature value farming which covered around 13.5 million hectares and represented 39 % of the total area committed across the EU-27 . This type of commitment was more popular in the 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007  (64 %) than in the EU-15 (35.8 %) and was applied in 17 Member States . It should be noted that the area covered by different types of commitments does not equal the physical area under agri-environmental commitments. In the total area the same area can be counted several times if several types of commitments apply on the same land.
  • The EU budgetary spending on agri-environmental measures has increased rapidly since 1993 and it reached EUR 3 026 million in 2010. At EU-27 level, the average agri-environment expenditure (period 2007 - 2009) was EUR 84 per hectare of UAA under agri-environmental schemes. The amount of expenditure per hectare is higher in the 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007  (EUR 123.4 per ha) than in the EU-15 (EUR 77.8 per ha).
  • A substantial effort is needed to improve data collection and in particular the spatial distribution of different agri-environmental schemes. At the moment data are only available at programme level and therefore only for some countries the indicator could be shown at regional level. Moreover the sub-indicator Share of agricultural holdings enrolled in agri-environmental measures has not been calculated due to the quality of data reported. A further effort would be needed to assess the targeting of agrienvironmental measures (classified by sub action) to the local needs (pollution hot spot, Natura area).

Assessment 

Share of total UAA (main indicator) and agricultural area enrolled in agri-environmental measures (sub-indicator 1)

According to figures reported by Member States in compliance with the reporting requirements of the Rural Development Programmes' monitoring system, in 2009 the agricultural area enrolled in agri-environmental measures amounted to nearly 38.5 million ha and represented 20.9 % of the UAA in the EU-27. This share was significantly higher in the EU-15 (25.2 % or 33.5 million ha) than in the 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (9.7 % or 5 million ha) (Figure 1). The 2009 data includes all the new contracts signed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 under Council Regulation 1698/2005as well as the on-going commitments under the former Council Regulation 1257/1999 that still represent a significant proportion of the total, particularly in some countries. In the aggregation of the old and new commitments there is a slight risk of double counting the same area which is enrolled in the scheme in the previous and new programming period. In 2009, the level of implementation of the agri-environmental measures varied considerably among Member States. While in Luxembourg (91.7 %), Finland (91.4 %), Sweden (82.3 %) and Austria (69.6 %) more than two-thirds of the UAA were enrolled in agri-environmental commitments, in 8 other countries (Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria) this share was below 10 %. Other Member States with a relatively significant share of agricultural area under this scheme (between 33.6 % and 45.5 %) are Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Estonia (Figure 2). Moreover, data on the area under agri-environmental contracts signed in 2006 and 2009, shows the different level of implementation of the agri-environmental scheme between these two years. In 2009 the total number of hectares enrolled in agri-environmental measures was 9 % lower than in 2006 in the EU-27 (excluding data for Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Romania and Sweden ).This percentage amounts to an average decrease of 1.6 percentage points of the share of the UAA under this scheme (from 23.3 % to 21.7 %).
The area under agri-environmental contracts decreased by more than half in Ireland (61 %), Poland (60 %), the Netherlands (51 %), and Cyprus (65 %). On the other hand this area increased considerably in Italy (40 %), Spain (20 %), Lithuania (43 %) and the United Kingdom (16 %) (Figure 3). Data on the evolution of the area enrolled in agri-environmental measures have to be taken with caution since this reduction may be attributed to the level of implementation of the Rural Development Programmes, which have not yet reached their full implementation at the beginning of the programming period 2007-2013.

Breakdown of area under agri-environmental commitments by type of action (sub-indicator 2)

According to current figures, priorities addressed by Member States in term of agri-environmental commitments varies considerably across the EU. In 2009, the most important types of agri-environmental commitments in terms of area enrolled were those aimed at the management of landscape, pastures and high nature value farmland which covered around 13.5 millions hectares and represented 39 % of the total area committed across the EU-27. This type of commitments was more popular in the 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (64 %) than in the EU-15 (35.8%) (Figure 4 and Figure 6) and was applied in 17 Member States. It was particularly important in five countries where it represented more than 70 % of the total area under agri-environmental measures, namely in Estonia (100 %), Romania (99 %), France (88 %), Bulgaria (81 %) and Sweden (71 %) (Figure 5).

It should be noted that the total area covered by different types of commitments does not equal the physical area under agri-environmental commitments. In the total area the same area can be counted several times if several types of commitments apply on the same land. Moreover data on the breakdown of the total area under agri-environmental measures include only contracts signed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 under Regulation 1698/2005.

14 % of the total agri-environmental area (almost 5 million hectares) is classified in the category "other extensification of farming systems" which includes measures aimed at the reduction or better management of fertilisers and plant protection products and at the extensification of livestock. This measure, which up to 2009 was applied in 14 Member States, represented a significant share of the total area committed only in Austria (47 %), Finland (29 %), Malta (85 %), Poland (32 %) and Slovakia (65 %) (Figure 5).

Around 8 % of the total area committed in the EU-27 was devoted to organic farming and the same share was directed to actions to conserve soils. Commitments intended for organic farming were signed in most Member States and were particularly important (around or above 50 % of the total commitments) in Denmark (78.7 %), Latvia (59.2 %) and Lithuania (49 %). On the other hand actions to conserve soils (e.g. labour techniques to prevent and reduce soil erosion, green cover, conservation agriculture and mulching) represented a share of between 15 and 25 % of the total commitments only in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Poland and Slovenia. In Cyprus, Greece, Hungary and Ireland almost the whole area committed was under the category "other actions", which mainly includes horizontal measures covering wider environmental issues. This category cover around 5 % of the total area committed.

On the other hand, Luxembourg (100 %), United Kingdom (93.9 %) and Finland (40.8 %),  have very high shares of commitments in the category "entry level scheme" which traditionally attracts a large proportion of agricultural holders. ‘Entry-level’ is in fact a relative term describing environmental management which varies from one Rural Development Programme to another and comprise a great variety of actions but is designed to deliver incremental improvements just above the environmental reference level which all farmers must observe as the baseline for agri-environment payments . It should be noted that commitments which have been reported by Member States under this category, often include type of actions of other categories (e.g. certain measures for soil cover, crop diversification, management of pasture, etc.) depending on each Member State. Therefore the classification and the corresponding figures have to be taken with caution. In 2009, the other 6 categories of commitments not discussed above covered only 13 % of the total area enrolled in agri-environmental commitments. The data on the area under different types of commitments only include the contracts signed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 under Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (Figure 5).

Expenditures on agri-environmental measures (sub-indicators 3 and 4)

The EU budgetary spending on agri-environmental measures has increased rapidly since 1993 and it reached EUR 3 026 million in 2010. The total public funding was considerably higher (EUR 5 053 million) as Member States pay up to 50 % of the cost of measures from their own national budgets. As concerns the current Rural Development programming period (2007-2013), the reduction of expenditure (by around 30 %) between 2006 and 2007 reflects the rather slow start in some Member States of the implementation of new agri-environmental measures under Regulation 1698/2005. During the first two years of the programming period 2007-2013 an important part of the EU budget was still spent on agri-environmental schemes contracted under the former Regulation 1257/1999.  2009 is the first year in which a substantial number of new contracts have been signed while a significant part of the former agreements have concluded (Figure 7).

At EU- 27 level, the average EU agri-environmental expenditure (period 2007-2009) was EUR 84 per hectare of UAA under agri-environmental schemes. The total public expenditure was almost twice this amount with EUR 163 per ha supported. The different level of the agri-environmental expenditure per hectare among Member States gives indication of the importance that they attach to the implementation of agri-environmental measures across their agricultural area. The amount of expenditure per hectare is higher in the 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (123.4 EUR per ha) than in the EU-15 (77.8 EUR per ha). 16 Member States show agri-environmental payments for the period 2007-2009 above the EU-27 average often to a large degree, from 85.4 EUR per ha in Italy to EUR 494.3 per ha in Malta (Figure 8). 

Reasons for differentiated uptake

The results above show that the compulsory nature of agri-environment measures has helped to ensure a wide application throughout the EU farmland, despite considerable differences in uptake between Member States and regions.

The uneven application of agri-environment measures may be partly explained by financial reasons. This links on the one hand to limited national/regional budgetary possibilities for co-funding in some Member States, and on the other hand to potentially insufficient payments for attracting enrolment. However, there are also contextual and institutional reasons that may also have a great influence on the differentiated application of agri-environmental measures. For instance, their implementation requires substantial administrative resources (in terms of identification of key environmental issues of concern, design, processing of applications, training etc.) to be successful. Moreover, the agricultural context differs between EU Member States, concerning age and educational levels of farmers, intensity of agriculture, productivity and land values. 

Data sources and availability

Indicator definition

The indicator gives information on the agricultural area which is covered by agri-environmental measures and shows the implementation over time of this rural development scheme. 

Measurements

Main indicator:

  • Share (%) of area under agri-environmental commitments on total utilised agricultural area (UAA)

Supporting indicators:

  • Area (ha) under agri-environmental commitments
  • Breakdown of area under agri-environmental commitments by type of action
  • Share of agricultural holdings enrolled in agri-environmental measures
  • Trends of EU expenditure on agri-environmental measures
  • Trends of annual expenditure on agri-environmental measures per ha supported

Links with other indicators

The indicator "Agri-environmental commitments" is linked to the following other indicators:

Data used and methodology

The indicator is built on the basis of administrative data reported by Member States in compliance with the reporting requirements of the Rural Development Programmes' monitoring system. Data for the programming period 2007-2013 are derived from the annual information reported to compile the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF)'s output indicators linked to the measure 214 "Agri-environmental payments" (Article 79 – 83 of the Regulation 1689/2005).

The output indicators of the CMEF measure activities directly realised within the rural development programmes. These activities are the first step towards realising the operational objectives of the intervention and are measured in physical or monetary terms. Monitoring data are reported by Member States to DG Agricultural and Rural Development annually within the Annual Progress Report which is compiled for each programme. Data are reported and processed by means of the Rural Development Information System - Indicator Database Information Monitoring (RDIS IDIM).

Main indicator and sub-indicator 1

Data come from the monitoring information of the output indicator Physical area under agri-environmental support. For each Rural Development Programme, the information of the monitoring tables includes an estimation of the physical supported utilised agricultural area (UAA) in ha, without double counting of the area in which different type of agri-environmental schemes are applied. This means that if a single beneficiary has more than one contract (signed for different environmental purposes: e.g. an agreement for landscape management and a separate agreement for organic farming) covering the same area, this area is registered only once and it corresponds to the physical area under agri-environment contract.

The indicator on the physical area has been introduced for the first time in the period 2007-2013 as output indicator of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the Rural Development Programmes to improve the quality of the monitoring information. It differs from the total area enrolled in agri-environmental commitments where the same area can be counted several times if several types of commitments apply on the same land.

The indicators include the area which is enrolled in agri-environmental schemes in 2009: this means that data for 2009 include commitments signed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 under Regulation 1698/2005 and commitments made under the 2000-2006 programming period (Regulation 1257/1999) which are still running in 2009. It should be noted that in the aggregation of the old and the new commitments there is a slight risk of double counting the same area which is enrolled in the scheme in the previous and new programming period; therefore the physical area may be over-estimated.

Please note that data for Poland only include agri-environment contract signed in the programming period 2007-2013 under Regulation 1698/2005.

Data on the area under agri-environmental contract in 2006 are extracted from the monitoring table reported by Member State in the programming period 2000-2006 in compliance with Regulation (EC) 1257/1999. The quality of the information reported in this programming period is lower since there is the risk of double counting the area signed under different type of commitments. Data are therefore available only for those 20 Member States for which information has been validated by the Commission.

Sub-indicator 2

Data refers to the output indicator Total area under agri-environment support. The information of the monitoring tables assembles all supported area. This means that in the total area the same area can be counted several times if several types of commitments apply on the same land. Data of the area under contract are reported by Member States following the division according to the type of commitments.

The indicator refers to the area enrolled in different type of commitments in 2009 and therefore include only contract signed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 under Regulation (EC) 1698/2005.

It should be noted that the following countries (Hungary, Greece and Cyprus) did not report the area under different type of commitments and therefore it has been classified under the category 'others'.

Sub-indicator 3

Data on trends of EU expenditure on agri-environmental measures come from robust financial information on the expenditures realized by Member States which are declared to the Commission. They refer to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Fund (EAFRD) for the period 2007-2010, the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) - Guarantee budget execution for the period 1993-2006 and from the Temporary Rural Development Instrument (TRDI) fund, for the period 2004-2006. Expenditures only include EU funds.

Sub-indicator 4

Expenditures on agri-environmental contracts per hectare supported in 2009, are calculated dividing the expenditures realised in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by the total hectares supported in the same time frame (the total area supported include all commitments and it differs from the physical area). Data are extracted from the monitoring table of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF), 2007-2009. Data on the UAA in 2006 and 2009 come from Eurostat database: land use statistics (apro_cpp_luse).

Data on the area and expenditures linked to agri-environmental schemes are reported by Member States at programme level: national and regional depending on the country. At the moment data reported at national level for AT, BG, CZ, CY, DK, EE, EL, FI, FR, HU, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, SE and at regional level for IT, ES, UK, BE, DE (for country codes see here). Due to quality of information of data reported at regional level, at the moment data are only shown at national level. A substantial effort is needed to improve data collection and, in particular the spatial distribution of different agri-environment schemes.

Sub-indicator 5

Due to the quality of data reported by Member States within the monitoring tables of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the Rural Development Programmes for the period 2007-2013, the sub-indicator Share of agricultural holdings supported by agri-environment measures has not been calculated. Data refer to the output indicator Number of farm holdings and holdings of other land managers receiving support: number of supported farmers and other land managers who make on a voluntary basis agri-environmental commitments, which go beyond the relevant mandatory EU/national standards. 

Context

Agri-environmental instruments are needed to support the sustainable development of rural areas and to respond to society's increasing demand for environmental services. Payments granted under agri-environmental measures must encourage farmers and other land managers to serve society as a whole by introducing or continuing to apply agricultural production methods compatible with the protection and improvement of the environment, the landscape and its features, natural resources, the soil and genetic diversity.

Policy relevance and context

In the current 2007-2013 rural development programming period, agri-environmental measures are designed to encourage farmers to protect and enhance the environment on their farmland by paying them for the provision of environmental services. Farmers commit themselves, for a five-year minimum period, to adopt environmentally friendly farming techniques which go beyond Good agri-environmental conditions (GAEC) and the Statutory management requirements (SMRs). Codes of GAEC are defined by Member States to provide a minimum environmental baseline to minimise some of the potential negative environmental effects of the agricultural activity. This ensures that agri-environment measures deliver more environmental benefits. In return for their commitment, farmers receive financial assistance that compensates for additional costs and income foregone resulting from applying those environmentally friendly farming practices in line with the stipulations of agri-environment contracts.

Agri-environment measures are currently the main instrument for the integration of environmental goals into the Common agricultural policy (CAP) and for meeting society's demand for environmental outcomes provided by agriculture. Regulation 1698/2005 is flexible and agri-environmental programmes can be designed at national or regional level. Thus they can be adapted to local or regional farming and environmental conditions, which are very diverse throughout the EU. As a consequence, there is a wide range of agri-environment measures in different Member States.

Commitments designed by national/regional agri-environmental measures can cover the following activities: organic farming, integrated production, other extensification of farming systems (i.e. fertilisers and pesticides reduction, extensification of livestock), diversification of crop rotations, reduction of irrigation; action to conserve soil, management of landscape, pastures and high nature value farming, actions to maintain habitats favourable for biodiversity, genetic resources, other targeted actions which for example include the use of integrated environmental planning.

Agri-environment measures are proposed by Member States or regions and submitted to the Commission for approval under Regulation 1698/2005, as part of their Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). In most cases, agri-environment measures are the main environmental policy instruments to fulfil the environmental objectives set out in the RDPs. They are also a key tool for achieving EU level environmental objectives, such as those set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.

Agri-environmental context

The main specific environmental objectives of agri-environment schemes are the protection and improvement of landscape and its features, natural resources, the soil and genetic diversity by means of the increase of sustainable management of agricultural land. The data reported through the annual monitoring of Rural Development Programmes for the period 2007-2013 allow for the following classification of the agri-environment schemes: 

  • Actions to maintain habitats favourable for biodiversity (e.g. leaving of winter stubbles in arable areas, adaptation of mowing dates).
  • Other extensification of farming systems which can include actions aimed at the reduction and better management of fertilisers and plant protection products and the extensification of livestock. Expected impacts include: enhanced soil quality, reduced water pollution, and biodiversity enhanced.
  • Reduction of irrigated areas and/or irrigation rates, limitation of draining
  • Other targeted actions which for example include the use of integrated environmental planning.
  • Organic farming, which is a clearly defined and controlled farming system that incorporates a wider range of farming practices (e.g., input reduction, no use of chemical substances, rotation, limits on livestock stocking density). Expected impacts include: enhanced soil quality, reduced water pollution, and biodiversity enhancement.
  • Management of landscape, pastures and high nature value farming. This type of commitment includes: upkeep of the landscape and maintenance of high nature value farmland areas, including the conservation of historical features (e.g. stonewalls, terraces, small wood), management of pastures (including limits on livestock stocking rates, low-intensity measures, mowing) and creation of pastures (including conversion of arable crops, management of other high nature-value farmland areas (e.g. traditional orchards). These measures can have a strong positive impact on biodiversity if well designed.
  • Action to conserve soil (e.g. labour techniques to prevent and reduce soil erosion, green cover, conservation agriculture, mulching)
  • Diversification of crop-rotations which includes rotation measures and in some cases conversion of arable crop to grassland for the benefit of wildlife. The impacts of rotation measures are very varied, but if drawn up with clear environmental objectives they can have positive effects on soil quality, water quality and biodiversity.
  • Integrated production which refers to a more integrated approach to farming as compared to existing monoculture approaches and which is based on the integration of crops and livestock into production systems. Mixed crop-livestock systems allow the most effective and efficient use of natural resources and biological cycles and processes.
  • Genetic resources as the maintenance of local endangered breeds and the protection of rare plant varieties under threat of genetic erosion.
  • Entry level scheme, which consists of environmental management which varies from one Rural Development Programme to another but is designed to deliver incremental improvements just above the environmental reference level which all farmers must observe as the baseline for agri-environment payments.[2] 

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Database

Agricultural production (apro)
Crops products (apro_cp)
Crops products: areas and productions (apro_cpp)
Land use - 1 000 ha - annual data - (apro_cpp_luse)

Dedicated section

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

Other information

Legislation: Commission Staff working document] accompanying COM(2006)508 final
Agricultural Production Systems, corresponding IRENA Fact sheet 01

External links

  • Database:
  • Publications:
  • Other external links:

Notes

  1. ↑ 12 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 (EU-N12) are: Poland (PL), Czech Republic (CZ), Cyprus (CY), Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Slovenia (SI), Estonia (EE), Slovakia (SK), Hungary (HU), Malta (MT), Bulgaria (BG) and Romania (RO).
  2. ↑ Keenleyside, C., Allen, B., Hart, K., Menadue, H., Stefanova, V., Prazan, J., Herzon. I., Clement, T., Povellato, A., Maciejczak, M. and Boatman, N. (2011) Delivering environmental benefits through entry level agri-environment schemes in the EU. Report Prepared for DG Environment, Project ENV.B.1/ETU/2010/0035. Institute for European Environmental Policy: London.
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