Archive:Cropping and livestock pattern statistics

Graph 1: Area occupied by organic farming, 2005 (1)(% of UAA)

(Data from October 2008)

There is increasing consumer awareness and interest in food production and distribution, for example, concerning where and how food is produced, and how it moves from the farm to the fork. As an example of a sustainable farming system, many agricultural holdings have converted to certified organic production methods. Just over 4.3 % of the utilised agricultural area in the EU-27 was classified as organic agricultural production in 2005, ranging from 11.0 % in Austria and 8.4 % in Italy to below 1 % in Ireland, Poland and Malta.

Main statistical findings

Graph 2: Sales of pesticides (1)(kg of active ingredient per hectare of utilised agricultural area)

Table 1: Environmental and agricultural indicators, 2005

The proportion of agricultural area that is irrigable is, unsurprisingly, particularly high in the southern Member States, notably Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Malta, where irrigation is essential for many types of agriculture. Supplementary irrigation is also used to improve production elsewhere, and large irrigable areas are also found in the Netherlands.

Plant and animal protection products are important in agriculture to preserve crops and maintain healthy livestock, but their intensive use can have negative environmental impacts, and this depends to some extent on whether or not such products are used properly. Total sales of pesticides vary greatly across the Member States, from particularly high levels in Malta and to a lesser extent in Italy and Belgium (above 6 kg per hectare of utilised agricultural area) to relatively low levels in Sweden and Estonia (0.5 kg per hectare or less). To some degree, these differences reflect the climatic conditions, the types of farming that are practised, and varying price of pesticides.

Data sources and availability

Organic farming can be defined as a method of production which places the highest emphasis on environmental protection and animal welfare considerations. In the EU, farming is only considered to be organic if it complies with Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91. Organic farming involves holistic production management systems for crops and livestock, emphasising the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs. This is accomplished by using, where possible, cultural, biological and mechanical methods in preference to synthetic chemical units such as fertilisers, pesticides (fungicides, herbicides and insecticides), additives and medicinal products.

The irrigable area is that which is equipped for irrigation – the actual amount of land irrigated varies depending, for example, on meteorological conditions or the choice of crop. Over-exploitation of water can lead to the drying-out of natural areas, and to salt-water intrusion in coastal aquifers.

The Livestock density index measures the stock of animals per hectare. It is the ratio of the livestock units (converted from the number of animals using standard coefficients) per hectare of utilised agricultural area. A Livestock unit (LSU) is a reference unit which facilitates the aggregation of livestock from various species and ages. Eurofarm LSU coefficients are established by convention (originally, they were related to the animals’ feed requirements, the reference being a dairy cow with an annual yield of 3 000 kg of milk, without additional concentrated feedingstuffs). In the interpretation of the livestock density index, the limits of this theoretical unit are to be taken into account. The livestock species aggregated in the LSU total, for the purpose of the indicator in this publication are: equidae, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and rabbits.

Context

Around 40 % of the EU’s land area is farmed. This fact alone highlights the importance of farming for the EU’s natural environment. The links between the two, however, are complex. On the one hand, farming has contributed over the centuries to creating and maintaining a variety of valuable semi-natural habitats and agricultural landscapes. While many of these are maintained by different farming practices and a wide range of wild species rely on this for their survival, agriculture can also have an adverse impact on natural resources. Pollution of soil, water and air, fragmentation of habitats, and a loss of wildlife can result from agricultural practices and land use. This complex relationship has necessitated the integration of environmental concerns and safeguards into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with particular attention paid to reducing the risks of environmental degradation through cross-compliance criteria (as a condition for benefiting from direct payments, farmers must comply with certain requirements, some related to environmental protection), incentives and targeted environmental measures, while encouraging farmers to continue to play a positive role to enhance the sustainability of agro-ecosystems.

The importance attached to assessing the interaction between agriculture and the environment is underlined by the fact that the European Commission adopted a list of 28 agri-environmental indicators (COM(2006) 508 final) in 2006.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Organic farming

Database

Organic farming, see:

Organic crop area

Organic crop production and yields from fully converted areas

Organic livestock

Number of registered organic operators

Number of registered operators processing and importing products issued from organic farming

Production of organic animal products

Food : From farm to fork statistics, see:

Food consumption

From production to distribution – Which quality label and at which price

Inputs to the food chain

Actors involved in the food chain