 Historic impact of agriculture positive, but modern, intensive agriculture is a threat to biodiversity, water, soil, etc.  Modern agriculture depends not only on soil, water, biological systems, but also fossil fuels, medicines, chemicals, etc.  Fertiliser: Use decreasing, except in EU-10: nitrates are polluting drinking water and causing eutrophication (50% of Baltic N from agriculture)  Pesticides: Still a concern; localised contamination.  Irrigation: Agricultural intensification; decline in the levels and quality of water; degradation of the land (particularly in S Europe).  Biofuels: Need to ensure overall environmental benefits.  Intensification: ECE and the Balkans have untapped agricultural potential, which may see intensified production to meet world demand for food.

 Main objective has always been to increase production.  Rural E and SE Europe being abandoned due to low productivity and distance from major markets; poor labour efficiency in formerly collectivised economies; privatisation.  Both intensification and abandonment have negative outcomes.  EEA very optimistic about organic farming.  Agriculture also subject to negative environmental impacts.

 Climate change: rainfall; seasonality; temperature; forestry as a response?  Livestock: Significant decreases during the 1990’s; livestock farming disastrous when coinciding with poor manure management  Services: Landscapes, habitats; tourism; carbon storage; bioenergy production?  Biodiversity

 CAP no longer driving intensification  RD funding rather than agri. funding  Income pressure to specialise: how do we offset this?  Catch-up for E Europe  Challenge of farming efficiently whilst looking after the environment: all this has to be tackled together surely?

 Key Issues: ◦ Nutrient loads on freshwater ◦ Loss of land to built development ◦ Habitat fragmentation and species decline ◦ Soil, air quality  CE European Landscape Convention (2004) ◦ Cultural heritage; natural heritage  6 th Environmental Action Plan (EAP) ◦ Soil, air, sustainability, waste, pesticides. ◦ Really stresses the importance of agent education. ◦ How to aim beyond farming?

 Ammonia: 85% manure, 15% fertilisers  GHGs: 20 Mt CO 2 eq. out of 68.5 related to agriculture  Pollution: 29.8% rivers  Eutrophication: 16.2% lakes  60% of shoreline in some way polluted, along with 30% of groundwater  Unacceptable number of fish kills  Few SPAs  “Poor agricultural practice”