Painting a clearer picture of eco-schemes in European agriculture

A key element in making European agriculture more sustainable, eco-schemes are payment structures aimed at protecting the environment and climate. These voluntary agreements provide incentives for farmers to engage in more sustainable farm and land management practices, and reward the farmers if they meet established environmental goals.

With a quarter of the budget for the first pillar of the common agricultural policy (CAP Pillar 1) allocated to this new policy instrument, there is a great deal of expectation that it will result in substantial environmental and climate benefits. But how will Member States implement the schemes?

Researchers supported by the EU-funded EFFECT and CONSOLE projects have endeavoured to provide a clearer picture of their implementation across Europe. In their paper published in ‘EuroChoices’, they provide an overview of current plans for the implementation of eco-schemes in 15 Member States.

The paper mentions an “impressive diversity” in the 15 countries’ planned eco-scheme measures. “The number of eco-scheme measures to be offered per country varies between 3 and 21, and the complexity and level of ambition of the individual measures are quite heterogeneous,” write the authors. In addition, all the Member States target arable land, as well as permanent and temporary grassland, although the emphasis they place on them varies.Most of the planned eco-scheme measures either build on components from greening obligations or originate from agri-environmental and climate schemes currently offered at national or regional levels (under CAP Pillar 2). As regards the environmental aspects targeted, countries have to cover at least two of the following areas: climate mitigation, climate adaptation, water protection, soil protection, protection of biodiversity, sustainable and reduced use of pesticides, enhanced animal welfare and actions addressing antimicrobial resistance.

Through the eco-schemes, soil protection is addressed in 14 Member States, and priority is given to protecting biodiversity in 10 Member States (Austria does not address biodiversity at all). Twelve Member States target water protection, and 14 plan to offer measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Ten countries focus on reducing fertiliser and/or pesticide use. Last, a mere three countries – Italy, Austria and Poland – address animal welfare, and only one – Italy – targets antimicrobial resistance (in a combined measure aimed at veterinary medicine reduction).

According to the paper, all 15 Member States address European Green Deal targets, giving special attention to biodiversity enhancement and non-productive land. Importantly, eight countries – Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania – intend to support organic farming through an eco-scheme.

The authors conclude: “The greater creative freedom offered by the CAP’s New Delivery Model has resulted in a situation where similar measures are programmed as eco- schemes in some countries and as Pillar 2 measures in others. By adding yet another policy instrument to the CAP’s toolbox, the complexity of the CAP is vastly increased. It remains to be seen how farmers will respond.”

CONSOLE (CONtract SOLutions for Effective and lasting delivery of agri-environmental-climate public goods by EU agriculture and forestry) ended in October 2022. The EFFECT (Environmental public goods From Farming through Effective Contract Targeting) project ends in April 2023.

For more information, please see:

EFFECT project website

CONSOLE project website