Archive:Cropping and livestock pattern statistics
- Data from June 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
This article presents an overview of statistical data on the impact of agriculture on the environment. Farming can have beneficial influences on the environment, for instance in creating valuable landscapes and habitats. But inappropriate agricultural practices and land use can also have an adverse impact on natural resources, like the pollution of soil, water and air, fragmentation of habitats and loss of wildlife.
The links between the richness of the natural environment and farming practices are complex. Agri-environmental indicators (AEI) are used to quantify and describe these complex relations between agricultural and agri-environmental policies, agricultural practices and the environment. AEI assess trends over time of (1) the effects of agriculture on the environment, and (2) the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural and environmental policy measures.
There are 28 indicators relating to farming practices, agricultural production systems, pressures and risk to the environment and the state of natural resources. In this article data will be presented on a selection of these indicators:
- Energy consumption by agriculture.
- Cropping patterns.
- Livestock patterns.
- Specialisation.
- Irrigation.
Main statistical findings
Energy consumption by agriculture
Analysis
The share of agriculture in final energy consumption in the EU-27 on average has been steadily declining from 2.7% in 2000 to 2.4% in 2007. The total consumption of energy by agriculture in the EU-27 has decreased by 7%, from 29 939 in 2005 to 27 826 kilo tonnes of oil equivalent in 2007. Figure 1 shows the final energy consumption by agriculture in kilograms of oil equivalents per hectare (KgOE/ha) of utilised agricultural area (UAA), in EU-27 Member States, in 2007. Data for Malta is not available. In the new Member States the energy consumed by agriculture per hectare UUA (118 KgOE/ha, excluding Malta) is on average lower than in the old Member States (178 KgOE/ha, but only 147 KgOE/ha if the Netherlands are excluded) In EU-27, the average energy consumption is 161 KgOE/ha.
Energy consumption in agriculture varies largely across livestock and crop production systems, and tends to be high in intensive farming systems when measured per hectare. This indicator therefore also reflects differences in farming systems between Member States. The energy consumed per hectare is the highest in the Netherlands with 2,166 kgOE/ha. The high intensity of glasshouse production in the Netherlands is the main reason that energy consumption reaches a high level in the Netherlands. Indeed, the heating of glasshouses is the most energy consuming type of crop production.
Definition
Energy is used directly by agriculture with the use of machinery (e.g. cultivation of fields with tractors) and the heating of livestock stables and greenhouses. In addition, energy is also used indirectly by agriculture for the production of agrochemicals, farm machinery and buildings. Considerable amounts of mainly natural gas are used for the production of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers. The indirect use of energy by agriculture is not included in the indicator. Please note that these figures cover also the energy used in forestry, separate data on agriculture is not available. The use of energy in forestry is however assumed to be non-significant in most countries in relation to agriculture.
Context
The use of machinery and mineral fertilisers has made it possible to increase agricultural productivity and food supply. Agriculture as an energy user however contributes to global warming (CO2 emissions from fossil fuels).
Cropping patterns
Analysis
The cropping pattern in the EU-27 is very stable between 2003 and 2007. In the EU-27 in 2007, arable land represented 104 millions of hectares (60 % of UAA), whereas permanent grasslands represented 57 millions of ha (33 %) and permanent crops only 11 millions (6%). Kitchen gardens cover only a significant area in Malta.
Both the repartition of the main land use types and the trends vary widely among Member States. Figure 2 shows the repartition of the four components of the utilised agricultural area in each Member States in 2007. It clearly suggests that Mediterranean countries (e.g. Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus) have a much more important share of permanent crops than other countries. This can be explained by favourable climatic conditions of these countries and the commercial importance of permanent crops such as olive trees, vineyards or other fruit trees. Some countries have important areas of permanent grasslands (e.g. Ireland and the United Kingdom, famous for their important sheep flocks), whereas others are characterized by a strong domination of arable land in their UAA (e.g. Finland or Denmark).
The change in cropping patterns between 2003 and 2007 within Member States however has been significant for some countries. Figure 3 shows the difference between the share of grassland in UAA in 2007 and in 2003. Slovakia and Lithuania experienced a significant decrease in the share of grassland, while the share of grassland increased from 40% to 51% in Portugal.
Source: Eurostat, ef_lu_ovcropaa.
Definition
Cropping pattern is defined as the spatial representation of crops rotations, or as the list of crops that are being produced in an area and their sequence in time. The utilised agricultural area can be divided into three main types of agricultural land use: arable area, permanent grassland and permanent crops. Kitchen gardens are also included by convention in the total utilised agricultural area, even if they only represent small areas in the total UAA.
Relevance
Cropping patterns provide insight into environmentally important trends in farming in the European Union. Permanent grasslands are generally considered as the most important from a landscape and nature conservation perspective. This is however most of the time only true for extensively managed permanent grassland that provides habitats for many wild plants and animal species. The quality of these grasslands from a landscape and nature conservation point of view can be roughly assessed by looking at grazing livestock densities in these countries.
Data sources and availability
Context
Around 40 % of the EU’s total 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. Managing this complex relationship has required the integration of environmental concerns and safeguards into the Common agricultural policy. In particular, close attention is paid to reducing the risk of environmental degradation through cross-compliance criteria (as a condition for benefiting from direct payments from the CAP, farmers must comply with certain requirements, some related to environmental protection), incentives and targeted environmental measures, and encouraging farmers to support 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
- Building agro environmental indicators – Focussing on the European area frame survey LUCAS
- Food safety statistics – Inventory of data available in the EU Member States, EFTA and candidate countries
Main tables
- Organic farming (t_org)
- Area under organic farming (tsdpc440)
- Organic crop area (fully converted area) (tag00098)
Database
- Agriculture (agri), see:
- Organic farming (org)
- Organic crop area (food_in_porg1)
- Organic crop production and yields from fully converted areas (food_in_porg2)
- Organic livestock (food_in_porg3)
- Number of registered organic operators (food_act2)
- Number of registered operators processing and importing products issued from organic farming (food_act3)
- Production of organic animal products (food_pd_dmorg)
- Food consumption (food_ch)
- From production to distribution – Which quality label and at which price (food_pd)
- Inputs to the food chain (food_in)
- Actors involved in the food chain (food_act)
Dedicated section
Other information
- Council Regulation 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products
External links
- European Commission - Organic Farming
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Natural Resources & Environment