Federal Departement of Economic Affairs DEA Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG How the Swiss agricultural policy promotes Integrated Pest Management Fabio Cerutti Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture
Mar 27, 2015
Federal Departement of Economic Affairs DEAFederal Office for Agriculture FOAG
How the Swiss agricultural policy promotes Integrated Pest Management
Fabio CeruttiSwiss Federal Office for Agriculture
2 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Integrated Plant Production
is the basis for
Integrated Plant Management
3 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Contents
• Facts and figures
• Policies and instruments
4 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
AreaFacts and figures
Non productive areas 7,800 km2 19 %
Built-up areas2,500 km2 6 %
Agricultural land 10,300 km2 25 %
Lakes and Rivers 2,900 km2,
7 %
Forest12,000 km2
29 %
Alpine pastures
5,800 km2 14 %
5 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Facts and figures
Agricultural Production
Degree of self-sufficiency
• Vegetable products 41 %• Animal products 94 %• Total 59 %
6 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Reform of the agricultural policy
From second war until 1993o subsidies linked with production:
• fixed prices and • sales garantees
From 1993 – today o subsidies (= direct payments) are linked to compliance with ecological standards= Ecological cross compliance
A fundamental change
Product subsidies
Direct Payments
7 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Policies and Instruments
Overview
Ecological Requirements: entry door
General Direct Payments
Ecological Direct Payments
Total 2 bn CHF
Total 0.5 bn CHF
Quality and Interlinking of Ecological Compensation Areas
+
Federal Law
on the Protection of
Nature and C
ultural Heritage
8 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
• balanced use of fertilisers
• appropriate share of ecological compensation areas (7%)
• crop-rotation
• soil protection
• selected and targeted application of plant protection products
• animal welfare standards
Policies and Instruments
Ecological requirements ()
Proof of Ecological Performance (PEP)Based on the approach of “Integrated Production Principles”Rules translated into regulations:
9 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Balanced use of fertilisers
Objectives:
•Conservation of soil fertility
•Maximum reduction of the losses of nutritive elements into the environment
•Nutrient cycles as closed as possible
Minimal requirements: •balanced manure, N and P inputs don’t exceed 10% of the needs
10 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Appropriate share of ecological compensation areas
Objective: Conservation and enrichment of biological diversity and the rural landscape
Minimum requirements:
7% of the agricultural surface of the farm must be devoted to areas of ecological compensation
11 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Ecological Compensation Areas(examples)• Extensive meadows
• No fertilizer and no pesticides are allowed
• Grass is mown at specific times allowing flowers to turn into seeds (plain: mid-June).
• Meadows used with little intensity• Same conditions as extensive
meadows, except fertilisation (= 30 kg N / ha allowed)
12 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Trend in Ecological Compensations Areas
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
1'00
0 h
a
région demontagnerégion deplaine
Source: FOAG
About 12% of agricultural area
13 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Crop-rotation
Objectives
Conservation of soil fertility and improvement of plant health
Minimum requirements
Farms> 3 ha :
• % of surface per crop is limited
4 crops
14 Agri-environmental policy in Switzerland / 2007-08-17/201
Soil protection
•Conservation of soil structure and fertility.
•Reduction of erosion, of losses of nutrients and of plant protection products
•.