COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(88 )338 final .
Brussels /8June 1988
ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE
(Commission Communication )
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ENUIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE
I. INTRODUCTION
1.Agricultural evolution and PAC reform
European Agriculture istraditionally anally oftheenvironment .
* Over thecenturies European farmers have shaped ,maintained and
protected thevast majority ofthe land surface ofthecontinent .
Since they have depended upon nature fortheir livelihood ,farmers
have ,onthewhole ,lived andworked inharmony with nature .They
have depended upon fertile soils ,clean waters and astable ecological
balance .They have therefore played akeyrole inmaintaining the
soil ,preventing rural pollution anddefending rural ecology .
Toamajor extent this remains true .Itisstill farmers whoprotect
much ofEurope 'sland area from exhaustion ,pollution orerosion .In
zones where depopulation andabandonment ofthe land threatens
damaging ecological consequences ,itisoften farming activity which
holds these consequences atbay .Butthepicture hasbegun tochange .
Inthepast 40years agriculture has ,ontheonehand ,undergone a
technological revolution which has ledtomore intensive farming
practices ,andontheother ,ithas itself suffered from pressures
coming from other economic activities ,such asurbanisation ,
industrial development andtransport .
Therecent review oftheCAP ,confronted byproblems of
over-production ,hashowever ledtheCommunity toreflect ontherole
ofagriculture intheeconomy and insociety .Objectives ,such as
self-sufficiency infoodstuffs orsocio-economic ones such as
maintenance offarmers' incomes have been complemented byobjectives
relating totheprotection ofcertain traditional values which
agriculture represents inoursociety ,inparticular with respect to
theprotection oftheenvironment .Itfollows that themeasures which
nowneed tobetaken toensure abetter control ofproduction must be
such soastoguarantee that allfuture progress inthesector is
achieved inharmony with environmental requirements ,andthat an
environmental equilibrium iseventually re-established inthezones
affected from this point ofview .
Itiswithin this framework that theCommunity hasbeen working onits
agricultural structural policy ,inorder toestablish themeasures
which must accompany thereform ofmarket organisation .The
successive modifications ofR.797/85 <1>onimproving the
efficiency ofagricultural structures ,indicate awill topromote a
number ofactions ,concentrating onthedouble objective ofavoiding
first theproblems caused byintensive agriculture ,andsecond any
negative environmental consequences .
•:1:«OJNoL93 ,30.3.85 ,p. 1

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Moreover ,theagreement byHeads ofState and ofGovernment of
February 1988 concerning thereform oftheCAP ,hasreinforced the
means ofreaching these goals .
Soitisthat there exists today acontext more favourable tothe
integration ofanenvironmental dimension intheframework ofthe
adaptation ofproduction potential tomarket requirements .
2.The Commission 'sreflections onenvironment andagriculture
2.1 .The Green Paper
The Commission has onanumber ofoccasions underlined the need for
agricultural policy totake theenvironment into account .TheGreen
Paper ofJuly 1985 noted that "Therole ofagriculture inamodern
industrialised economy isincreasingly perceived toinclude notonly
strategic ,economic andsocial functions ,butalso theconservation of
therural environment .Atatime when theCommunity is
self-sufficient inmany agricultural products ,andtherefore obliged
tomanage itsproductive capacity inaprudent way ,environmental
considerations even gain inimportance ".TheCommission further noted
that :"Inthe last decades agriculture hasundergone atechnological
revolution which hasprofoundly changed farming practices .There is
growing concern about theeffects ofsuch changes ontheenvironment ,
which isexpressed notonly among theurban population butalso among
those engaged inagriculture "and "although environmental
considerations have already been taken into account intheCAP in
recent years .... Itisnecessary toconsider what ...measures could
beenvisaged inthenext decade ";theGreen Paper accepted that
"agriculture has tobeconsidered asasector ofeconomic activity
which ,like other sectors with potentially harmful activities ,should
besubject toreasonable public prescriptions andcontrols designed to
avoid the deterioration ofthe environment "aswell asthat "in
general theprinciple of"Polluter Pays "would apply and itwould not
benormal forfarmers toexpect tobecompensated bythepublic
authorities for the introduction ofsuch rules ".Furthermore ,itwas
underlined that "atleast asimportant asthepassive protection of
theenvironment isapolicy designed toprotect farming practices ,
which conserve therural environment ,and toprotect specific sites ".

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2.2 .Programme ofaction onthe environment
Initsfourth programme ofaction ontheenvironment (1987-1992 ),the
Commission specially stressed theneed tointegrate theenvironmental
dimension into other Community policies ,including theagricultural
policy .
Uith this inmind ,theCommission considered itnecessary toestablish
aproper balance between agricultural development andthesometimes
conflicting needs ofenvironmental conservation .Ithasthus
announced proposals aimed atreducing thedamage caused byagriculture
totheecological infrastructure .These proposals refer inparticular
topollution resulting from intensive animal breeding andtothe
excessive use offertilizers andpesticides ,aswell astothe
protection ofnatural habitats .
3.Reflections oftheEuropean Parliament
Initsresolution of19.2.1986 ,theEuropean Parliament stressed that
"thereform oftheCAPgives anopportunity toestablish acoherent
agricultural policy ,which also seeks topreserve theenvironment and
theway oflife inrural areas ",andthat "ways must befound tomeet
theeconomic andsocial needs ofthefarming community ,bearing
environmental considerations inmind ".Moreover ,the Parliament ,
moreover ,asked for "anoverall policy based onquantitative and
qualitative objectives ,aiming particularly at :
rational land useandlong term land conservation ,combined with
protection ofnatural riches andresources asawhole
themaintenance anddevelopment ofrural life
theproduction ofgood-quality food
closer cooperation between agriculture andindustry
changing thegeneral conditions ofagricultural policy insuch a
wayastofoster anagriculture compatible with theenvironment ".
TheEuropean Parliament insisted ,inparticular ,onthenecessity for
aEuropean Soils Policy (planning ,fight against soil erosion ,
reafforestation ,diversification ofagricultural production ,the
environmental assessment oflarge agricultural projects ,respect of
theCommunity directives andinternational conventions onthe
protection ofwild fauna ),andonanintegrated rural planning policy
based oncollaboration between allparties concerned .Italso
considers that thestructural agricultural policy initiated by
R-797 /85should becontinued ,through budgetary improvement anda
better distribution offunds infavour ofthe "orientation "sector of
EftGGF ,thechannelling ofstructural funds into regional programmes
which foresee theremuneration ofcertain agricultural practices
compatible with theenvironment ,and ,most important ,thepreparation
ofprecise rules governing thegranting ofstructural funds infavour
ofecological agricultural practices .

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4.Theappro achtotheproblem bytheMinisters ofAgriculture andofthe
Environment
TheMinisters ofAgriculture andoftheEnvironment have also stressed
theimportance oftaking into account theenvironmental constraints ,
andhave accepted theCommission 'sposition that additional measures
are necessary .
Their conclusions were drawn atthetwoinformal meetings held on
8.9.1987 atNyborg (Denmark )fortheMinisters ofAgriculture ,andon
26.2.88 atUilbad-Kreuth (Germany )fortheMinisters ofthe
Environment .
Thedebate hasallowed ustonote that though there issome
convergence between theobjective ofbetter production control onthe
onehand ,andanenvironmental policy ontheother ,theMinisters of
Agriculture express different preoccupations resulting from the
diversity ofconditions intheregions oftheCommunity .Twomajor
preoccupations canbenoted onthis subject :theproblems that
intensive agriculture pose fortheenvironment ,andrural
desertification which isequally destructive from anenvironmental
point ofview .
TheAgriculture Ministers recognised theneed forbetter Community
co-ordination inthesearch for anenvironmental equilibrium in
agriculture ,butwere more cautious about theneed forcommon rules at
aEuropean level ,given theneed tofind ad-hoc solutions adapted to
thespecific diversities ofthezones concerned .
TheEnvironment Ministers ,too ,noted that caution wasrequired in
tackling aproblem ascomplex anddelicate asthedevelopment of
agriculture inharmony with theenvironment .
They stressed theneed for apolicy which would notonly prevent but
also correct theexcesses ofintensive agriculture incertain zones ,
soastoprotect theenvironment from which thefarmers themselves
draw their subsistance ,without ,however ,reducing their standard of
living .Such apolicy could ,inparticular ,bebased onthe
agricultural structural policy ,“set-aside” ,extensif ication andearly
retirement schemes ,which should beused tothefull inorder tohelp
achieve theobjectives oftheenvironmental protection .
TheEnvironment Ministers concluded that the ''environmental "dimension
should beprogressively integrated into agriculture ,andthat the
flexibility necessary toallow fordifferent conditions intheMember
States should notprevent theestablishment aswell astherespect of
common principles .Compensation andeconomic incentives ,together
with regulatory measures ,should support theeffort offarmers to
protect theenvironment ,whilst appropriate assistance should be
provided inthefield oftraining ,information anditsdissemination .

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5.The approach ofinternational organisations
Similar discussions areunder may inallMember States asuell asina
number ofinternational organisations .
For instance ,OECD hassetupanadhocworking group onthe
environment andagriculture ,which hasproduced avery detailed and
comprehensive report .
Important work hasalso been undertaken bytheCouncil ofEurope and
bytheUnited Nations .Therecent Bruntland Report isanexample ,
which gives particular thought toenvironmental problems in
agriculture .
6.The aim ofthis paper
This paper aims toclarify theCommission 'sguidelines onthis subject
and isbased onthepositions expressed bytheEuropean Parliament and
bytheMinisters ofAgriculture and oftheEnvironment ;ituses the
extensive body ofwork that hasalready been done within theCommunity
aswell astheinternational organisations with respect toagriculture
and environment .
Itdeals inparticular with theconsequences ofrecent developments in
agriculture ontheenvironment ,with aview tofocusing onthe
problems andtoestablishing common principles orguidelines ,
accompanied bypriorities foraction aswell asidentifying afirst
phase ofproposals totheCouncil .
Aworkable environmental andagricultural policy fortherural areas
ofEurope must take fully into account thewide diversity ofEuropean
agriculture ,thevery different environmental problems that itposes
for theenvironment and itssocial andeconomic situation .
TheCommission will examine totheextent possible thecosts and
benefits ofactions which might betaken ,andwill take into account
social ,economic andenvironmental aspects ,aswell asthemost recent
scientific data .
The "polluter pays "principle must ofcourse apply toagricultural
activity asitdoes elsewhere ,butthis must bedone inconjunction
with theother policies tailored tomeet theparticular needs ofthe
rural population .

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II SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
Thechanges which have characterized agriculture inrecent decades -
mechanisation ,use ofagrochemicals ,theimprovement ofcultivation
techniques andtheintensification ofmuch agricultural production
have led tohigher yields buthave also ledtothecreation of
structural surpluses ,andvery often toenvironmental damage .
Inparticular thefollowing specific problems have been indentified :
Deterioration ofcertain terrestrial habitats and extinction of
wildlife species due tohabit disturbance ,pollution anddrainage
ofwetlands .Although other developments (tourism ,urbanisation ,
industrial pollution )have also contributed totheproblem ,it
appears that intensive agricultural practices arethecause of
both fauna and flora extinction ,inmany regions ofthe
Community .
Water quality problems inmany areas ofintensive agriculture .
These include eutrophication ,nitrate andpesticide pollution
mainly asaresult ofmisuse and/oroveruse ofchemicals ,animal
manures andother organic material .Inmany regions ofthe
Community there isaproblem concerning nitrate indrinking water
which often exceeds theCommission 'sguideline of25mg/1,or
even themaximum limit of50mg/1,andwhich isingeneral onthe
increase .
Thesame situation exists for pesticides forwhich themaximum
admissible concentration is0,1pg/1and0,5pgwhen allproducts
are considered (Directive 80/778/CEE <1:').
•:1)0JNoL229 ,30.8.1980 ,p.11

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Moreover there isgrowing concern forthefuture about thefollowing :
Soil degradation and inparticular soil erosion canresult not
only from intensive farming butalso from theabandonment of
agricultural activity intheless favoured ,hilly ormountainous
areas .Thetotal threatened area intheCommunity isestimated
atatleast 25million hectares ,that isabout eight times the
size oftheNetherlands .Erosion isaparticularly grave problem
intheMediterranean countries where losses oftopsoil reach up
to2800 kg/ha/year ,butNorthern countries donotescape the
problem .
Increased ammonia evaporation asaresult ofintensive livestock
rearing anduse ofcertain types offertilizers isleading tothe
deterioration ofairquality .Approximatedy half ofthetotal
nitrogen inmanure isintheform ofammonia .Where manure is
applied tothesoil surface most ofthis ammonia canbelost to
theatmosphere within afewdays ifconditions aresuitable .
Thelong term accumulation ofheavy metals andacidification
makes soils unsuitable forfarming ,while pollution ofwaters
makes irrigation difficult andresidues ofchemical substances
maylower thequality ofagricultural products .
Landscape changes duetoundesirable deforestation or
afforestation ,field rationalisation ,hedgerow removal ,wetlands
drainage andthedeterioration ofother features aredestroying
flora and fauna habitat .
Itisalso worthy ofnote that modern agricultural techniques can
affect thetaste quality offoodstuffs .
III .CURRENT COMMUNITY MEASURES
1.TheCommunity hasalready adopted agricultural measures directly or
indirectly aimed atpromoting environmental objectives andreducing
theimpact ofmodern farming ontheenvironment .

5
Those include :
theintroduction ofasystem ofCommunity aids tofarmers who
undertake tofollow practices compatible with theenvironment in
sensitive zones
asystem ofaids toencourage farm investments fortheprotection
orimprovement oftheenvironment ,within thefarm holding or
beyond (agro-food industry )
adoption ofaseries ofprovisions limiting orprohibiting the
payment ofinvestment aids forintensive livestock production
theapplication ofaComunity system ofcompensatory allowances
tohelp maintain farming activity inmountainous and less
favoured areas where theabandonment ofagriculture could be
detrimental tothe environment
theprohibition oftheuse ofanumber ofharmful pesticides
measures fortheprotection oftheCommunity 'sforests against
atmospheric pollution and fires
theintroduction ofasystem ofadditional Community aids tohelp
train farmers ,inview ofthequalitative re-orientation of
production andtheapplication ofproduction practices compatible
with environmental requirements
the introduction ofaset ofmeasures aimed atencouraging the
extensif ication ofproduction andthesetaside aswell asthe
cessation offarming through anearly retirement scheme .
Amongst theabove mentioned measures ,theencouragement of
agricultural practices compatible with environmental requirements ,the
extensif ication oftheproduction and "set-aside "will play akeyrole
inthedevelopment ofthe land usesystem inagriculture andhave
beneficial effects onthe environment .
Moreover ithas tobenoted that ,inthecontext ofnational aids ,it
wasaccepted that they may begranted within theframework ofamore
flexible system for investment aimed attheprotection and improvement
oftheenvironment ,subject toitsnot leading todistortions in
competition (Article 92-94 ofTreaty ofRome ).

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2.Within theframework ofArticle 19ofR.797/85onimproving the
efficiency ofagricultural structures ,theCommmission has received
itsfirst applications forfinancial contributions bytheCommunity
fortheintroduction ofmeasures fortheprotection oftheenvironment
incertain rural areas .
Only twocountries ,Germany andUnited Kingdom ,have presented such
applications todate ,and theCommission hopes that Member States make
wider use ofthepossibilities offered bythemeasure .
3.With respect totheapplication ofcertain measures having animpact
ontheenvironment ,theCommission ,following ademand bytheInformal
Council ofAgricultural Ministers atNyborg ,hasprepared aninventory
ofregulatory andadministrative procedures introduced bytheMember
States fortheadaptation ofintensive agriculture .
This inventory wastransmitted toMember States which were invited to
give supplementary information andprecisions where necessary .
IU .MEASURES ENUISAGED
1.Land Use
Land use intheCommunity isnotstatic :itismulti-functional and
therefore does notdepend exclusively onagriculture ,although
agriculture plays adominant role .
Theman/land relationship ,theeconomic situation ,urban and
industrial development ,habitat requirements forfauna andflora ,are
some ofthefactors which need tobeincorporated into anyreview of
theproblem .
From apurely agricultural point ofview ,land use issubject toshort
and long term changes .
Intheshort term ,adjustments aremade incropping aspart of
rotational systems orinresponse tomanagement ,economic orclimatic
factors .Inthelonger term ,changing market conditions and
technological development lead tomore general adjustments ,while the
total area ofagricultural land alters asland isreclaimed ,abandoned
orlost tonon-agricultural uses .Even within agricultural uses there
aresignificant changes such asthereduction ofgrasslands orthe
expansion ofoilseed crops andgreen fodder observed inpast years .

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Theenvironmental implications ofland use ,especially inthe
agricultural context ,suggest that planning andincentives aimed at
orienting production and atlimiting environmentally undesirable
developments are increasingly necessary .
Asconcluded bytheMinisters fortheEnvironment ,thestructural
funds constitute aprivileged instrument inachieving such aims ,as
well asfortheintegration oftheenvironmental dimension inthe
agricultural sector .
Community action inthis field should bebased ontheexisting
Environment Impact Assessment Directive <1>.This contains annexes
listing project types forwhich assessment ismandatory oris
optional .TheCommission will propose themodification ofthis
Directive making itmandatory tocarry outenvironmental impact
assessments where decisions arerequired concerning large-scale
agricultural projects ,such astherestructuring ofholdings ,changes
inthewater regime ,roads ,etc .Such assessment will beparticularly
important inthe case ofpublic funding .Criteria orsize thresholds
should beenvisaged for this purpose .
Inaddition ,thepossiblity ofdiscouraging certain types oflarge
scale land usechange would beexamined .TheCommission will ,in
particular ,undertake anearly review oflarge scale agricultural
arterial drainage projects with aview tolimiting oreven insome
case orregions ,prohibiting theuse ofpublic aids forthis purpose .
Furthermore and inline with theGreen Paper ,theCommission will
examine additional measures tointroduce ormaintain agricultural
practices compatible with theneed for theprotection ofnature .
Inmany cases they could beintroduced onavoluntary basis ,for
example intheform ofmanagement contracts between public authorities
and thepublic concerned .
Insome zones ,where theenvironmental balance isparticularly
threatened ,certain compulsory measures should not beexcluded .In
this context ,theestablishment ofecological corridors could be
envisaged ,notonly for thehabitat protection ,butalso along water
courses orclose toponds ,fortheprotection ofwater asanatural
resource .
Currently ,Article 19ofR-797 /85offers thepossibility of
initiatives byfarmers fortheprotection oftheenvironment ona
voluntary basis .
Directive 85/337 ,0JNoL175 ,5.7.85 ,p.40•:i>

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TheCommission isexamining theopportunity ofmaking these measures
applicable inthose cases where farmers areobliged tointroduce
cropping orbreeding practices compatible with theenvironmental
requirements .Itcanbenoted onthis subject that theconditions
imposed recently bytheCommission initsdetailed rules forapplying
the setaside ,such aslimitations inthe use offertilizers ,animal
manure andplant protection products ortheobligation forthefarmers
tomaintain thesoil ingood condition ,could result inapositive
contribution totheenvironment ,ifcorrectly applied .
Thesame istrue ofextensif ication measures ,theprocedures forwhich
need still tobedefined .However ,their introduction presupposes a
thorough examination ofpossible obstacles which mayexist in
legislation concerning taxes onland .Inaddition ,themeasures still
onthetable oftheCouncil concerning direct income aids should
favour thesurvival ofsmall agricultural holdings ofthefamily type ,
therole ofwhich isimportant for therural environment andthe
overall agricultural economy .
Finally ,theestablishment oftheset-aside andextensification
schemes offer great possibilities fortheprotection ofagricultural
ecosystems .Land made available asaresult ofthese programmes could
beused fornon-agricultural purposes intheframework ofintegrated
countryside management programmes ,inorder tofavour initiatives
which could ensure acomplementary income forfarmers aswell as
environmental benefits .
Themain possibilities inthis field areagri-tourism inallitsforms
(hunting ,fishing ,riding ....)andtheextensive rearing ofgame or
sporting breeds .
2.Use ofPesticides
Theuseofpesticides inagriculture ,although necessary ,cancause
environmental problems which have been recognised formany years .The
principal problems are :
theeffects ofresidues infood andwater onhuman health and the
risks associated with spray drift from pesticides during
application
theunintended negative effects ofpesticides onspecies ,other
than those towhich they areapplied .
therisk forthefarmers themselves resulting from inappropriate
use ofpesticides .

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Thegeneral objective ofCommunity policy must betoreduce toa
strict minimum ,theuseofchemicals foragriculture ,notonly because
oftheknown hazards tohumans ,fauna andflora ,butalso because of
uncertainty about thelong-term andsynergetic effects oftherelease
ofsuch agents into theenvironment .
TheCommission has ,therefore ,the intention toproceed with the
revision ofexisting legislation onpesticides (1>.
Toachieve this ,itwill make use ofthe most recent scientific
findings andwill make theappropriate proposals .
Much more attention must begiven tothebroader effects ofpesticides
ontheenvironment asawhole and towildlife inparticular .
Inthat context ,Community action could concern theauthorisation of
substances andproducts aswell asoftheir distribution and
application .
Asalready announced atthe Informal Council ofMinisters of
Agriculture of1987 ,theCommission isnowconsidering arevision of
its1976 proposal ontheauthorisation ofpesticides .
This might include theestablishment ofa"positive list "of
permissible active ingredients ,which would benoted onacomplete
analysis ofallrelevant properties ofthese meterials .There would
also beappropriate review procedures andcontrols onlabelling .
'1Council Directive 78/631onclassification ,packaging andlabelling
ofdangerous chemicals ,council Directive 79/117prohibiting theplacing
onthemarket anduse ofplant protection products containing certain
active substances ,Council Directive 76/895onfixing ofmaximum levels
forpesticide residues inand onfruit andvegetables ,Council Directive
86/362 onfixing ofmaximum levels forpesticide residues inand on
cereals andCouncil Directive 86/363forpesticide residues inand on
foodstuffs ofanimal origin ,Council Directive 87/519concerning maximum
levels forsubstances andundesirable products inanimal feed
(pesticides ).

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Inthelonger term theCommission will also examine thenecessity and
thepossibility ofcontrols onthedistribution andapplication of
pesticides .Both ofthese ,particularly inthecase ofthemore
dangerous products ,might belimited topersons with theappropriate
professional qualifications ,equipment andfacilities .Themost
dangerous products might besold only onprescription andtheir
application might besubject totheterms ofthat prescription .In
certain cases ,notably application byaircraft ,special authorisations
andtechnical controls might berequired .Tothegreatest extent
compatible with ageneral harmony ofpractice throughout theCommunity
thevarious controls andqualifications would beadministered ata
national level andwould beintegrated into existing national systems .
Obviously ,thecornerstone ofallefforts toreduce andrationalise
the use ofchemicals inagriculture lies intheconstant improvement
ofinformation and oftraining oftheusers themselves ,whomust be
fully aware oftheir own real interest .
3.Intensive animal and plant production
Traditionally ,livestock production isintegrated into general farming
activity .Ituses animal feed produced onthefarm ,andemploys
animal wastes toimprove thesoil .Butmodern systems oflivestock
production ,exploiting economies ofscale andassisted bynew
techniques offeeding andmanagement aswell asbylow-priced imported
feed stuffs have ledtoaspecialisation ,which involves large numbers
ofanimals living onasmall area ofland ,infact aquasi-industrial
activity .
When animal wastes produced exceed theabsoption capacity ofboth the
soil andvegetation they create aconsiderable risk ofpollution of
surface andground waters bynitrates ,toxic trace elements and
pathogenic micro-organisms .Production units also cause problems of
smell andnoise .Controls should beimposed onthis type ofactivity ,
just asthey areforother activities ofanindustrial nature .
Similar problems sometimes arise from theexcessive useofchemical
fertilisers inintensive crop production .
Certain Member States arealready taking thefirst steps tocontrol
theeffects ofintensive agriculture .
4

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TheCouncil approved in1987 asystem ofCommunity aids for
extensif ication ofagricultural production andforfarmers in
environmentally sensitive zones ,whoundertake tofollow practices
compatible with theenvironment ,
Butadditional Community action seems tobenecessary toprotect the
environment onamore general scale ,while ensuring fair conditions of
competition .
Such action could cover both intensive livestock rearing and intensive
crop production ,particularly inzones with considerable pollution or
risk ofpollution ofsurface andground waters bynitrates ofthe
Community ("vulnerable zones ").
Itwill first benecessary todefine Community parameters and
procedures fortheidentification anddesignation byMember States of
such "vulnerable zones ".
TheCommission intends topropose that Member States establish
programmes with aview toachieving early andappropriate cuts inthe
quantities ofnitrate leaching into the soil and into thewater table ,
allowing for are-establishment ofanormal situation induecourse .
Such programmes should allow Member States totake into account the
particular characteristics ,natural aswell associo-economic ,to
introduce aflexibility astothechoice ofmeans forreducing nitrate
leaching ,toprovide appropriate technical and/orfinancial assistance
tohelp farmers adapt tothe newagro-economic context ,avoiding at
thesame time unrealistic requirements onadministration andcontrol .
Inthis context the Member States will dotheir best toensure that
theobjectives can bereached through theactive andvoluntary
participation offarmers .
Asfar asintensive livestock production isconcerned thecreation of
new large units andimportant extension ofallexisting ones should be
subject toprior authorisation onthebasis ofanenvironmental impact
assessment specifying particular conditions toberespected .
Inthevulnerable zones ,the rate ofapplication ofanimal manures
should bewithin the take uprate bycrops .
Insituations where there isasurplus ofmanure ,proof must begiven
that itcan bedisposed ofinanenvironmentally appropriate way ,or
the intensity oflivestock production should bereduced .

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4.Qua1iluofProducts
Thepossibilities offered byorganic farming should notbe
underestimated .Infact ,this activity hasnotonly favourable
effects ontheenvironment butmayalso assure adiversification in
producers’ sources ofrevenue ;itcan benefit from the different aid
programmes forproduction andcommercialisation ,but inorder to
increase thenumber ofoutlets ,itrequires anappropriate legislative
framework that canoffer guarantees totheconsumer ofproduct
authenticity andadequate protection fortheproducer against unfair
competition .
Itwould also beuseful totake more into account thequality element
inclassification ofagricultural products given thefact that the
current search for abetter visual appearance incites producers to
theover-use ofchemical inputs .
U. ACCOMPANYING MEASURES
Atpresent ,existing Community legislation introducing various systems
ofCommunity aids allows foractions tobetaken byfarmers aiming at
theprotection oftheenvironment (e.g. aids tofarmers whoundertake
tofollow practices compatible with theenvironment ,aids for
investments fortheprotection andimprovement oftheenvironment ,
aids forhill farming and less favoured areas ,aids forset-aside and
extensif ication programmes etc...).
Intheperiodic review oftheabove mentioned systems ofaids ,their
environmental effects should beassessed andproposals should bemade
accordingly inorder tooptimize these effects .
Itis,however ,important that Member States make fuller useofthe
existing provisions which allow farmers toprotect theenvironment .
TheCommission fully encourages andsupports such aneffort .
Inaddition ,extension services inallMember States should betrained
andequipped inawayastobeable tocontribute towards aless
intensive andless polluting agriculture inaccordance with what is
done fortraining thefarmers onthebasis ofCommunity provisions .
Incertain cases ,studies should becarried out inorder toensure
better training andorientation oftheservices concerned .
Theestablishment ofcodes ofgood agricultural practice would bea
helpful tool tobedeveloped .There should bemore funds forreserach
inthose sectors oflowinput agriculture ,such asintegrated pest
control ortheorganic farming ,where research isgenerally less
advanced than forconventional high input agriculture .

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UI .CONCLUSIQNS
1.General guidel iries
Agricultural activity hasforcenturies co-existed inharmony with the
environment ,butsome ofthepresent trends inagriculture arecausing
environmental concern andproblems which should bebetter controlled .
Thereform ofCAPprovides anexcellent opportunity toefficiently
integrate theeconomic ,social andenvironmental elements ofthis
policy .
Ontheonehand ,therigorous market andprice policy ,indispensable
foreconomic and financial reasons ,will atthe same time discourage
unjustified intensification ,which isharmful totheenvironment .
Ontheother hand ,thereinforcement ofsocial structural measures and
theaidschemes intended toimprove anddiversify farmers income ,will
also permit thepromotion ofbeneficial effects ontheenvironment .
Ajudicious combination ofregulatory andincentive measures ,which
should normally lead toeconomies rather that expenditure ,will lead
inthefuture toanagriculture more friendly totheenvironment but
notnecessarily less efficient .
This combination must ,ofcourse ,bemodulated with regard toregional
andother diversities ofEuropean agriculture and has tobe
complementary toother Community policies totackle thegreat problem
ofEurope 'srural areas .
Itisclear that inorder tobeeffective ,allprogrammes inthis
field have tobewidely supported bytraining anddissemination of
information ,asappropriate tospecific situations .This could
promote anagricultural community more aware ofthefact that itisin
itsownbest interest tomanage production inamore rational manner
inorder toattain arational equilibrium between itsneeds andthose
ofthe environment .
Thanks tothis training anddissemination ofinformation ,thefarmer
should become aware that hisrole isnot limited toagricultural
production initself ,but ,that italso extends tothemaintenance of
the rural environment ofwhich heisthemanager .This implies that
society hastoaccept thefact that thefarmer ,asmanager ofthe
environment ,isrendering apublic service which merits anadequate
remuneration .

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2.Timetable
Onthebasis oftheelements discussed intheprevious chapters and
considering thestate ofthepreparatory work already done ,the
Commission will asafirst step andbefore theendof1988 ,present
thefollowing proposals :
therevision oftheproposal for aDirective concerning the
marketing ofplant protection products (proposal presented in
1976 )
aproposal concerning theproduction andmarketing of
agricultural products andfoodstuffs ,obtained without the use of
synthetic chemicals .
aproposal for aDirective concerning theprotection offresh
surface andground waters andcoastal waters against pollution
from livestock manure andfrom overuse ofnitrogenous compounds .
therevision oftheDirective concerning theassessment ofthe
effects ofcertain public andprivate projects onthe
environment ,
Intheshort term ,theCommission intends topromote athorough study
ontheuse ofeconomic instruments asameans toreducing consumption
ofchemical fertilizers andpesticides ,thus decreasing their impact
ontheenvironment ,inparticular onwater resources .
Inaddition and intheframework ofthereinforcement ofitstraining
andinformation actions theCommission will study thepossibilities of
reinforcing itsfinancial participation intheapplication of
existing measures
ensuring thesatisfactory coordination ofthemeasures taken by
the Member States
promoting theawareness offarmers ofthepossibilities offered
bytheCommunity
Finally ,theCommission ,inaddition totheproposals mentioned
above ,will stress ,intheframework ofthereform ofthe
structural funds and inparticular ofEAGGF -Guidance Section ,
theneed topromote alternative economic activities which will
allow farmers toincrease their income ,whilst respecting the
environmental requirements ,protecting therural environment and
itstraditional wayoflife (agritourism ,hunting ,game rearing ,
fishing etc .)