Reports

How to reduce nutrient load from agriculture?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:23:00 GMT

The mitigation measures decreasing the runoff of solid matter and nutrients from field cultivation can be divided into measures taken on the field, at the edge of the field and outside the field. As for the measures taken on the fields, fertilization levels of phosphorus and nitrogen have decreased significantly. At the same time the total area plowed in autumn has decreased by half as it has been replaced by reduced tillage and direct sowing systems. This has been shown to reduce especially erosion and particulate phosphorus runoff but also the runoff of total nitrogen. The problems related to dissolved phosphorus runoff, especially from fields with soils rich in phosphorus, still call for separate solutions, e.g. reducing the overall P content of fields.

Water sampling in the Aurajoki river.

The reduction in nutrient load achieved by buffer zones depends not only on the extent of the measure itself but also on the other, on-field measures implemented on the portion of the field remaining in cultivation. The efficiency of wetlands depends on how much field area is included in the upstream catchment area and what is the area of the wetland in relation to the catchment area. The total effect of wetlands and buffer zones is less than that of the measures taken on the fields.

The estimations of changes in agricultural nutrient loads in water bodies involve much uncertainty and not all of the changes can be measured with direct monitoring methods. In reality the nutrient load from agriculture will start to decrease noticeably only after several different measures are implemented on a wide range. The smaller the proportion of cultivated fields in the catchment area, the harder it is to perceive the change in load levels. Automatic nutrient load measuring systems have shown that the agricultural runoff happens mostly during peak periods and almost 100% of the total yearly load occurs outside the growing season. In addition, the yearly load levels vary significantly from one hydrological year to another which in its part makes perceiving changes in load levels achieved by mitigation measures more difficult.

The change in vegetation cover during different seasons.

Targeting of measures to fields with higher risks

Environmental measures should mainly be timed to the period when most of the nutrient runoff occurs. Efficient targeting requires the identification of hot spots that can be field parcels, individual catchments or complete river basins. This means that targeting of measures can mean implementation of measures in fields with the highest loading potential, simultaneous implementation of effective measures in catchments, or implementation of wide-ranging water protection programs in whole water systems. There are clear viewpoint differences between these and they also differ when it comes to coordinating the planning and implementation of these measures. Examples include the farm-level implementation of agri-environmental mitigation measures, recycling of nutrients in the catchments discharging into the Archipelago Sea, and WFD water protection programs in large river basins.

Key areas in solid matter transport and nutrient runoff are steep-sloped fields and fields that flood repeatedly. Fields with high P content and peat soil are also risk areas. The distance of the field parcel from a water body, the soil type of the field and the level of vegetative cover are also risk factors. Steep fields create especially solid matter and particulate phosphorus transport, whereas flooding-vulnerable fields and peat land fields create dissolved phosphorus and nitrate leaching. A more accurate elevation model and more source information about the P content of the soil, the manure spreading areas and the vegetative cover outside the growing season would make risk assessment more reliable.

Risk area maps could be used when targeting water protection measures such as reduced tillage systems, wintertime vegetative cover and buffer zones. These maps should be clear and objective so that they could be used to support decision making.

Sirkka Tattari and Markku Puustinen, Finnish Environment Institute

Below are some slides from the presentation (click to open in a new window)

Comparison of agri-environment payments in selected EU countries

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:33:00 GMT

Here you can find English summaries of two studies that were conducted in order to compare the agri-environment payment systems of 6-10 EU countries with each other and with the Finnish system. The first report first gives an overview of agri-environment payments and and then focuses on water protection measures in 10 EU countries. The second report describes biodiversity measures in 6 EU countries which put a special emphasis on biodiversity.

Part I - Overview and water protection measures

Part II - Biodiversity measures

EU Baltic Sea Strategy taking steps forward

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:57:00 GMT

Agro-environment issues in the Baltic Sea Region were high on the agenda at the Annual meeting of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Priority Area 9 and the consequent Rural Development Programme seminar in Helsinki on 27-29 September.

In the three-day seminar, and especially in the work shop session on agri-environment programmes chaired by Tiina Malm, Ministerial Adviser and Head of Section of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, common themes and priorities were established under the objective of common RDP measures. The participants of the workshop represented RDP planners and key stakeholders around the Baltic Sea Region.

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Priority Area 9 meeting

“Although conditions vary greatly across the Baltic Sea countries and sub-regions, we believe that it is possible to develop common measures through exchange of experiences and learning from one another. One way to do this is to establish a network of national RDP focal points around the Baltic Sea Region. The time to do this is right now, as the responsible ministries are preparing the proposals for the next program period”, said Ms. Tiina Malm.

The conclusions from the workshop highlighted three important issues: 1) the role of qualified agri-environment advisory services, 2) the need for collective measures on the river basin level in addition to farm level measures, 3) the need to focus programme resources and advice in the high risk agricultural areas in order to achieve the environmental objectives with better cost-efficiency and 4) the need of agri-environmental innovations and the importance to distribute them and put them in practice.

Baltic COMPASS sees the processes and recent actions taken within the EU BSR Strategy as steps in the right direction to better align the agri-environment management to facilitate win-win solutions for both agriculture and environment.

The EU BSR Strategy had, in its Annual Report in June, established the cluster of agro-environmental projects, consisting of Baltic DEAL, Baltic MANURE and Baltic COMPASS. This cooperation is already on the way, as came up in the presentation by Paula Biveson from Baltic COMPASS.

The cluster of agro-environment projects is well positioned also to service the process of developing common measures with its specific contributions on environmental assessment, technical solutions and recognition of the farm level conditions and prerequisite for implementation of the measures

Baltic DEAL and Baltic COMPASS have already cooperated

Cross-section of governance: four cases as examples

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:42:00 GMT

Baltic Compass Work Package 6, “Governance and policy adaptation” has chosen several case studies in order to understand how agri-environmental measures, investments and assessment procedures, meet the multi-functional demands manifested at both national and transnational governance environments.

The cases will provide detailed lessons from national planning and policy making processes in the Baltic Sea region. Together with the country reporting processes on the “implementability of Agri-Environmental Actions” the cases will also serve as the main source of evidence and platform for stakeholder consultation.

In so doing this analysis should lead to the development of knowledge and lessons that can support the adaptation and innovation of agri-environmental governance.

1. The pig industry in the Nemunas River Basin – a study on transboundary measures, institutional capacity, bio security and local development

Pig farming is a growing industry in the Baltic Sea Region. The expansion has been debated in terms of its contribution to development, its international dimension and the environmental impact associated with different types of management practices.

This project tries to create an insight into the transboundary implications of the expansion of pig farms focusing on the Nemunas River Basin. The case will generate recommendations on how to identify transnational legislation/policy/agreements required addressing transboundary agri-environmental problems within the prevailing context of respective EU and non-EU regimes, not captured by current EU legislation.

2. Promoting ‘win-win’ measures Case

Riparian countries in the Baltic Sea Region are all searching for innovative agri-environmental measures which generate win-win solutions across sectors and interest groups and enable a more effective implementation of agreed targets.

In the national reviews under WP6, implementing actors have identified a number of challenges to facilitating this transformation to ‘win-win’ measures. This case will evaluate the ability of the policy adaptation processes to foster measures, which serve as win-win instruments, i.e. are a) adaptive, b) deliver multiple benefits, and c) promote regional cohesion. Examples of measures examined are: multifunctional wetlands, biogas, flood protection measures, controlled drainage etc.

Specific issues where win-win measures will be evaluated are: Use of catch crops and manure for biogas and Multi-functional wetlands.

3. River Basin Management Plan Case

River Basin Management Plan focus on the protection, improvement and sustainable use of the water environment. The Water Framework Directive sets out the requirement for the member states to develop RBMPs for planning and implementing measures to improve the water quality.

The objective of the case is to describe the role and priorities of RBMPs in limiting agricultural pollution, with special reference to diffuse pollution. For that, the planned measures, associated to limit pollution from agriculture in the River Basins Management Plans, will be analyzed. Study analyses the measures and the respective budgets in Programme of Measures. In addition, 5 pilot areas have been selected for detailed analysis and farmers’ survey in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.

4. Flood Control and Nutrient Leaching in the Bug Basin: Governance Adaptation for Multi-Functional Flood Control Measures

The Bug Basin has three riparian countries: Ukraine, Belarus and Poland, and a total area of 39 000 km². By 2013 member states are required to draw flood risk maps and by 2015 to have developed flood management plans. It is suggested that only limited flood control measures have been implemented within the Bug Basin, and they are old and in the need of modernization and reconstruction.

This case will further analyze the governance adaptation and flood control measures that is required to understand how both national and transnational governance shapes flood control within the Bug Basin. Baltic Compass is ideally suited to both draw on existing results from the pre –assessment of river basins, and to be involved in providing additional data and support to the steps of flood risk assessment and flood management planning.

5. Participatory development of agri-environmental measures: From a top-down to a bottom-up approach

Agri-environmental measures are common tools to improve the status of the environment. Today, the measures are designed and implemented in a top-down approach.

The objective of this case is to pose a new way of developing and implementing agri-environmental measures and thus to increase acceptance by the farmers. The first step is the development of new win-win measures, which bring advantages for the environment as well as for the farmer. By using the knowledge of the farmers within the pilot region of Schleswig-Holstein several measures have been developed. This participating design of measures leads to self-responsibility and win-win solutions instead of compensation and control mentality. To implement concrete measures the installation of algae ponds and controlled drainage systems are planned (see also 2. “promoting win-win measures”)

Inside Work Package 3

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:32:00 GMT

Agricultural measures to decrease nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea

The agricultural nutrient load to the Baltic Sea must be reduced and innovations within the agricultural sector are needed, both in planning and in implementation of the agricultural measures. The reasonable adaptations in farm management helps to achieve better results in terms of environmental impact. Environmentally friendly agricultural practices are an essential component of the work done in the Baltic Compass Work Package 3 (WP3).

Baltic Compass WP3 aims to identify and communicate the best practice utilization examples and innovations in management, business and technology in the Baltic Sea Region. The project will apply a multiple benefit analysis on best available practices and selection of counter-measures to reduce pollution from agriculture. The purpose of the work is to introduce a broader systemic approach in the selection of counter measures, and thus provide strengthened decision support in designing future counter measure action programs and packages.

The major deliverable from Baltic Compass WP3 is an Atlas of measures to reduce runoff that are suitable for different conditions around the Baltic Sea Region. The Atlas will consist of case farms with practical examples of best practice, policy analysis of obstacles in the implementation of measures.

Permanent grasslands and vegetative cover in winter of arable land can reduce nitrogen leaching.

The work began in 2010 when Baltic Compass delivered a list of Best Available Practices (BAP) and Best Available Techniques (BAT). The BAP consists of 12 major headings and altogether lists 25 measures to reduce the nutrient runoff from agriculture. These measures are implemented differently around the Baltic Sea region and Baltic Compass aims to gather country-level reports in order to compare and analyse specific information about how, why and to what extent various measurements are implemented in the different BSR countries.

The selected measures aim to produce a positive environmental effect, but they also need to be economically justifiable and practicable. Lessons about economic impact and applicability of the measure on farm level will be collected from a network of case farms. These are both virtual and real farms located around the Baltic Sea Region and having different environmental conditions and covering different production types. To date, the case farms have mostly been selected and the next step is to organise advisory visits to each farm to discuss the selection of measures. The farmers and the advisory team will discuss and list measures already implemented, measures of interest and those not of interest.

To get new dimensions of the Best Available Practices it is very important to get in touch with farmers and information on what motivates them to undertake environmentally friendly measures, since it is farmers’ willingness to adopt the new sustainable measures that will make a difference in the long run. The Case farms and advisory visits will also provide tools and information for future farmers and financiers to assess and implement best practice investments and measures, and furthermore will also bring new dimensions for necessary changes to be made to increase motivation to implement additional measures.

The work done by WP3 will be combined with that of WP 5 and WP 6, to create integrated tasks across the Baltic Compass project. WP6 will state the possibilities and obstacles in the implementation of measures from authorities’ points of view. They will also develop methodologies for the introduction of best practices, and management and innovative solutions in the framework of different policies. WP5 will test and validate the best practices through test cases combining practical measures and modelling exercises in selected Pilot Areas.

Storage and spreading of manure can in many cases be significally improved to prevent nitrogen and phosphorus losses.

Need for standard values for livestock manure in the Baltic Sea region

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:08:00 GMT

By Henning Lyngsø Foged, Agro Business Park, Denmark

It is widely accepted that agriculture counts for more than half of the N and P sources reaching the Baltic Sea, and additionally that these losses mainly originate from livestock manure. The legal framework established by EU and its Member States, such as the Nitrates Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the Directive on Industrial Emissions (follower of the IPPC Directive) can principally not be effectively implemented without official standard values for livestock manure, but only three countries in the Baltic Sea Region have enforced the use of such standards. Moreover, farmers’ incentives to invest in agro-environmental technology like biogas production, manure separation and SCIEN drainage technologies are severely hampered if they are not credited for the environmental benefits of such investments, and investment calculations concerning environmental technology projects are basically dependent on precise manure values.

Definition of standard values for livestock manure

Standard values for livestock manure is basically a table with information of the following type:

The standard values shall of course be described for all/relevant animal types, feed intensities, housing systems and bedding types. There would therefore typically be at least 30 datasets / rows in the table.

Methodology for preparation of the standards

Correct prepared standard values are prepared following a mass balance methodology, i.e. where N and P going into the production via feed and bedding material are deducted amounts leaving with products (meat, milk, etc.) and ventilation air.

The standards are defined as to ex animal, ex housing and ex storage, since there are considerable differences in manure qualities and amounts at these stages; it is for instance typical that 20-60% of the nitrogen disappears from ex animal to ex storage.

EU’s Nitrates Directive concerns the manure qualities and amounts ex storage (i.e. what is available for fertilising of field crops).

Manure standards can therefore not be established via analyses, because one of the key parameters, the amount produced per animal place or per produced animal, logically cannot be determined by analyses. Another reason is that representative sampling of livestock manure is almost impossible, at least for the solid types, wherefore a sufficient statistical certainty of analysis results typically requires that several hundred samples are analysed, and determination of the figures ex storage is impossible if the storage as normally is a mixture of manures from several animal types.

Standard values for livestock manure are expensive to develop, and they require frequent updating along with the development in stable systems, productivity levels, etc. It has earlier been said that each country needs their own standards because productivity levels and production systems differ from country to country. However, with and increasing harmonisation of agricultural production systems and practices in the Baltic Sea Region there are today the best possibility ever to share at least a part of the complex scientific work among countries in the region.

Standard values are necessary for precise use of livestock manure as fertilizer.

Existence of official and sufficient standard values for livestock manure

Like in Latvia and Lithuania the recent National Round Table meeting in Poland, held under auspices of Baltic COMPASS, concluded that official manure standards do not exist, but farmers and their advisers and anyone else have to deal with some more or less incomplete recommendations; in Poland a statistics of manure analyses is available, but without indication of the amount of livestock manure from different animal types, kept under different conditions of housing systems, bedding types and feed intensity. Latvia has some unofficial figures that were developed in several steps with heavy influence of manure analysis results, but this has been criticised by farmers for not corresponding with reality. Lithuania has some similar insufficient figures in the Code of Good Agricultural Practices from 2001. Estonia and Finland have some figures, but these are not considered trustworthy even by the ministries who use them. Only three out of ten countries in the region, namely Sweden, Denmark and Germany, have official and trustworthy manure figures.

Spring runoff peak flow has been detected in the river Vantaajoki

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:13:00 GMT

The first set of spring runoff peak flow has been detected in the river Vantaajoki in Finland 5 of April. Baltic Compass has been following the river since October 2010, when the project installed an automatic nutrient load measuring system at Pitkäkoski in the river Vantaanjoki. The installed monitoring system is part of the Baltic Compass project’s identification of agricultural nutrient run-off risk areas.

Spring melt-water flows begin with the break-up of river ice followed in early spring by a rapid rise in snow-melt run-off. Due to the heavy snowpack many streams are expected to see above average snow melt peaks this spring.

A common context of run-off deals with agriculture. When farmland is tilled and bare soil is revealed, rainwater carries billions of tons of topsoil into waterways each year, causing loss of valuable topsoil and adding sediment to produce turbidity in surface waters. The other context of agricultural issues involves the transport of agricultural chemicals (nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, herbicides etc) via surface runoff.

In terms of the land use in its catchment, the river Vantaanjoki is a typical river in southern Finland, there are about 1300 farms and 40 000 hectares of agricultural land in the catchment.

You can follow the spring runoff peak at this link: http://www.luodedata.fi/luodelogin.php

User ID: compass
Password: bcnutrient

Please contact hydrologist Sirkka Tattari from the Finnish Environment Institute if you want to use the data.

Tel: +358400148836
Email: sirkka.tattari@ymparisto.fi

What is LLUR currently working on in BalticCompass?

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:23:00 GMT

The State Agency for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas in Schleswig-Holstein (LLUR) is a partner in many of Baltic Compass Work packages. LLURs input to Baltic Compass project is provision of environmental information by modern technologies as well as supporting indicator development and modeling scenarios. But what is currently going on in Schleswig-Holstein?

Baltic COMPASS is currently involved in data acquisition by means of the Criteria System for Sustainable Agriculture (CSSA) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. CSSA has been developed by the TLL Jena (Thuringian State Institute for Agriculture) for the realisation of a sustainability analysis on farm level. With a total of 34 indicators, CSSA describes the farm`s situation in the fields of economy, ecology and social issues.

The Criteria System for Sustainable Agriculture includes 34 indicators in the fields of economy, ecology and social issues

The set of ecological indicators is used since 1994, further development and improvements with the help of experts has been made up to today. The indicators concerning economy and social issues have been joined to CSSA in 2000, so the complete system has now been in use for more than 10 years.

Within BalticCOMPASS, four farms in the pilot region of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, are participating in CSSA. The pilot region is situated within the two districts Ostholstein and Plön. The farmer gets information about his farm`s situation in the form of reports, graphics and tables. With these results the farmer is e. g. able to recognize and remedy weak points and to defend himself against general reproaches.

Besides the advantages for the farmer, one research goal is to get a more detailed view of functionality and dependencies in the region by using the data on farm level- of course anonymously and with permission of the participating farmers.

Best agro-environmental technologies to reduce loss of plant nutrients to the aquatic environment

Wed, 04 May 2011 06:03:00 GMT

Baltic COMPASS is strategic project in the Baltic Sea Region, meaning that it has an important role to coordinate and liaise with related projects and activities in the region.

Agro Business Park was in autumn 2009, upon start of the Baltic COMPASS project, undertaking an assignment for the Swedish private foundation, Baltic Sea 2020. The objective of the assignment was to identify and prioritise innovative technologies for livestock manure treatment for pig slurry, which in the most cost-efficient way reduces the environmental impact, focusing on reduced leaching of nutrients to water. Loss of plant nutrients is highly correlated with manure management practices. The project focused on manure treatment technologies, as technologies for storage and spreading already are regulated via EU legislation, and already enforced in most EU Member States around the Baltic Sea.

The following technologies were identified:

Biogas production / anaerobic digestion of pig manure because this has proven to be a method to increase plant-availability of the nitrogen in manure.

Separation of pig slurry, which enable fertilising in a balanced way according to the crops’ need for nitrogen and phosphorus in case of high livestock densities.

Use of phosphorus-indices, in combination with flat-rate phosphorus norms (a method requiring existing manure standards).

Training/licensing of persons engaged with transport and spreading of livestock manure was also recommended in the study.

Generally the recommendations serve the purpose of a higher re-circulation of plant nutrients in the agricultural production, thus reducing loss to the environment.

Phosphorus rich fibre fraction from separation of anaerobic digested livestock slurry. Photo: Henning L. Foged

Agro Business Park intends via its leadership of work package 4 in Baltic COMPASS to follow up on the recommendations made for Baltic Sea 2020. During the next weeks, Agro Business Park will together with work package and other project partners carry out sector studies to identify barriers and enablers for a more widespread use of the mentioned technologies in all countries around the Baltic Sea, and present the analyses to policy makers in the Region.

The full Baltic Sea 2020 report (Foged, Henning Lyngsø. 2010, Best Available Technologies for Manure Treatment – for Intensive Rearing of Pigs in Baltic Sea Region EU Member States. Published by Baltic Sea 2020, Stockholm. 102 pp) is available for download here.

Baltic Compass installed an automatic nutrient load measuring system

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:20:00 GMT

Baltic Compass project installed an automatic nutrient load measuring system at Pitkäkoski in the river Vantaanjoki in October 2010. The installed monitoring system is part of the Baltic Compass project's identification of agricultural nutrient run-off risk areas. Sirkka Tattari, the leader of Work Package 5 coordinated the planning of installation with Luode Consulting; a company specialized in water measuring technology.

The measuring system consists of an optical water quality sensor and a water-pressure sensor coupled with wireless data transmission devices. Every hour the sensors will automatically take exact measurements of the turbidity and the nitrate concentration. From the turbidity data, the total phosphorus (TP) concentrations can be calculated according to the correlation between turbidity and TP analyzed from the water samples taken in the same place. Baltic Compass will thus get measurements for the calculations of nutrient loading in the river Vantaanjoki every hour, which is a great advantage over "traditional" monitoring with occasional water sampling that leaves long periods unmonitored. In Finland, normal nutrient concentrations for a river like Vantaanjoki range between 0,5-5 mg nitrogen and 200-500 µg phosphorus. Weather-driven hydrology and the land use in the catchment will make the biggest effect on the quality of the water. The very first measurement showed that the turbidity was 10 FTU, the total nitrogen concentration was 2 mg and the water temperature was 4.1 °C.

The water-quality sensor is a spectrometer by an Austrian company s::can Messtechnik GmbH. The sensor is placed together with water temperature and –level probes at a depth of 1 m in naturally flowing water. From the hourly recorded data sent to the webpage of Luode Consulting, nutrient loading can be calculated very precisely. Previous water quality results from the river Vantaanjoki have been based on Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority measurements taken 22 times per year. With the new monitoring system Baltic Compass aims at verifying if the previous measurements have been exact enough for reliable estimates of the nutrient loading via the river Vantaanjoki into the Gulf of Finland

The nutrient load measuring devices installed at the river Vantaanjoki will be operating as long as the Baltic Compass project is running, thus at least until the end of 2012. Baltic Compass aims to install a similar monitoring system also in the river Narew in Poland. In this way the two rivers could be compared and the nutrient load from their catchments interpreted. The river Vantaanjoki is a 101 km long river in South-Finland which has a catchment area of 1685 km². In terms of the land use in its catchment, the river Vantaanjoki is a typical river in southern Finland, there are about 1300 farms and 40 000 hectares of agricultural land in the catchment.

Transboundary cooperation in agro-environmental governance: Lessons from past and ongoing Interreg projects

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:37:00 GMT

Prepared by Stockholm Environment Institute

This study examined lessons learnt from Interreg projects in terms of the ability of governance systems to implement policies that have an agro-environmental impact. The review concentrated on past, ongoing, and planned Interreg projects in transnational sea basins or transboundary rivers, which address issues which are connected to eutrophication. It hereby aimed to contribute to building a body of evidence regarding the legacy of policy implementation as well as the establishment of a network of relevant actors and projects within the BSR, which is required for the implementation of Baltic COMPASS. The intended clients of this report comprise primarily the consortium involved with Work Package 6 and partners in the wider Baltic Compass project. It is also hoped that the report will be of relevance for implementing agencies and other stakeholders in BSR countries and the future management of EU’s regional cooperation programmes. The document is aimed as a means of initiating a dialogue with the projects identified as potential relevant collaborators and it is expected that Baltic Compass partners will follow up with relevant projects to ensure optimal value adding.

Download report BC_WP6_Task 1 report.pdf

Download Annex 1 BC WP6 Task 1 report Annex.pdf