Abstract
In this study, quantitative models of the agricultural sector and nutrient transport and cycling are used to analyse the impacts in the Baltic Sea of replacing the current Greening measures of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy with a package of investments in manure handling. The investments aim at improving nutrient utilization and reducing nitrogen leaching, based on the assumption that lagging farms and regions can catch up with observed good practice. Our results indicate that such investments could reduce nitrogen surpluses in agriculture by 18% and nitrogen concentrations in the Baltic Sea by 1 to 9% depending on the basin. The Greening measures, in contrast, are found to actually increase nitrogen leaching.
Highlights
In a European context, the Baltic Sea is important for several reasons; the drainage basin covers a large part of the land area in the EU (17%) and EU member states make up 75.4% of the drainage basin of the Baltic Sea
The implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has resulted in implementation of measures to reduce nutrient loads, in many countries closely linked to the agri-environment-climate measures (AECMs) and subsidy schemes implemented as part of the Rural Development Programme of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (the CAP)
We focus on three complementary technological measures: (a) Increased manure storage capacity to at least 9 months of production, (b) replacing the use of broad-spread techniques for the application of liquid manure with a combination of hoses and injection technology (50% share of each), and (c) modernizing facilities to phase out solid manure systems, so that the share of liquid manure is at least 75%
Summary
In a European context, the Baltic Sea is important for several reasons; the drainage basin covers a large part of the land area in the EU (17%) and EU member states make up 75.4% of the drainage basin of the Baltic Sea. Nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea are directly and indirectly influenced by EU policies in several areas: the implementation of EU directives such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD), The Nitrates Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), as well as the EU Common Agricultural Policy (the CAP). The CAP includes three compulsory greening requirements, with the objective to ‘‘deliver environmental and climate benefits’’ (European Commission 2011). None of the greening requirements is directly linked to the environmental effects (performance) but to measures anticipated to provide a number of positive effects; including nutrient abatement
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