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ANNEX

1.    INTRODUCTION

This Sectoral Reference Document (SRD) is based on a detailed scientific and policy report ( 1 ) (‘Best Practice Report’) developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Relevant legal background

The Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) was introduced in 1993, for voluntary participation by organisations, by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1836/93 ( 2 ). Subsequently, EMAS has undergone two major revisions:

An important new element of the latest revision, which came into force on 11 January 2010, is Article 46 on the development of SRDs. The SRDs have to include best environmental management practices (BEMPs), environmental performance indicators for the specific sectors and, where appropriate, benchmarks of excellence and rating systems identifying performance levels.

How to understand and use this document

The eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) is a scheme for voluntary participation by organisations committed to continuous environmental improvement. Within this framework, this SRD provides sector-specific guidance to the agriculture sector and points out a number of options for improvement as well as best practices.

The document was written by the European Commission using input from stakeholders. A Technical Working Group, comprising experts and stakeholders of the sector, led by the JRC, discussed and ultimately agreed on the best environmental management practices, sector-specific environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence described in this document; these benchmarks in particular were deemed to be representative of the levels of environmental performance that are achieved by the best performing organisations in the sector.

The SRD aims to help and support all organisations that intend to improve their environmental performance by providing ideas and inspiration as well as practical and technical guidance.

The SRD is primarily addressed to organisations that are already registered with EMAS; secondly to organisations that are considering registering with EMAS in the future; and thirdly to all organisations that wish to learn more about best environmental management practices in order to improve their environmental performance. Consequently, the objective of this document is to support all organisations in the agriculture sector to focus on relevant environmental aspects, both direct and indirect, and to find information on best environmental management practices, as well as appropriate sector-specific environmental performance indicators to measure their environmental performance, and benchmarks of excellence.

How SRDs should be taken into account by EMAS-registered organisations:

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009, EMAS-registered organisations are to take SRDs into account at two different levels:

Elements of SRDs (indicators, BEMPs or benchmarks of excellence) not considered relevant with regards to the significant environmental aspects identified by the organisation in its environmental review should not be reported or described in the environmental statement.

EMAS participation is an ongoing process. Every time an organisation plans to improve its environmental performance (and reviews its environmental performance) it shall consult the SRD on specific topics to find inspiration about which issues to tackle next in a step-wise approach.

EMAS environmental verifiers shall check if and how the SRD was taken into account by the organisation when preparing its environmental statement (Article 18(5)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009).

When undertaking an audit, accredited environmental verifiers will need evidence from the organisation of how the relevant elements of the SRD have been selected in light of the environmental review and taken into account. They shall not check compliance with the described benchmarks of excellence, but they shall verify evidence on how the SRD was used as a guide to identify indicators and proper voluntary measures that the organisation can implement to improve its environmental performance.

Given the voluntary nature of EMAS and SRD, no disproportionate burdens should be put on the organisations to provide such evidence. In particular, verifiers shall not require an individual justification for each of the best practices, sector-specific environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence which are mentioned in the SRD and not considered relevant by the organisation in light of its environmental review. Nevertheless, they could suggest relevant additional elements for the organisation to take into account in the future as further evidence of its commitment to continuous performance improvement.

Structure of the Sectoral Reference Document

This document consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces EMAS' legal background and describes how to use this document, while Chapter 2 defines the scope of this SRD. Chapter 3 briefly describes the different best environmental management practices (BEMPs) ( 5 ) together with information on their applicability. When specific environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence could be formulated for a particular BEMP, these are also given. However, defining benchmarks of excellence was not possible for all BEMPs because in some areas either there was limited data available or the specific conditions (farm type, business model, climate, etc.) vary to such an extent that a benchmark of excellence would not be meaningful. Some of the indicators and benchmarks are relevant for more than one BEMP and are thus repeated whenever appropriate. Finally, Chapter 4 presents a comprehensive table with a selection of the most relevant environmental performance indicators, associated explanations and related benchmarks of excellence.

2.    SCOPE

This SRD addresses the environmental performance of the activities of the agriculture sector. In this document, the agriculture sector is considered consisting of organisations belonging to NACE code divisions from A1.1 to A1.6 (according to the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 6 ). This includes all animal and annual and perennial crop production.

These organisations are the target group of this document. Figure 2.1 presents a schematic overview of the scope of this document and shows the interaction of the target group with other organisations.

Figure 2.1

Schematic overview of the scope of this SRD: the target groups of the document are shown in bold font in boxes with light grey background; their most relevant interactions with other sectors are also shown; the sectors that are addressed by other SRDs are shown in italic font in boxes with light green background

Besides its direct target group, this SRD can be also useful to other actors, such as farm advisors.

This SRD is structured according to the different agricultural activities, as presented in Table 2.1.

Table 2.2 presents the most relevant environmental aspects for farms, distinguishing between arable and horticultural production and livestock production. For each of them, the table outlines the related main possible environmental pressures and how these are addressed in this document. These environmental aspects were selected as the most commonly relevant in the sector. However, the environmental aspects to be managed by specific organisations should be assessed on a case by case basis.

Agriculture is a very diverse sector which includes a variety of produce and farm types, as well as intensity levels, ranging from large scale highly mechanised intensive farms to very small scale extensive agriculture farms. Whatever the farm type and business model, there is scope for substantial environmental improvement, although this may materialise in different sets of actions supporting different aims depending on the farm type and business model. In coherence with the spirit of the EMAS scheme, aimed at fostering continuous improvement in environmental performance whatever the starting point, this document covers best practices aimed at realising all those different improvement potentials. For instance, in the chapter on grass and grazing management, the document identifies a BEMP (section 3.5.1) on improving the efficiency of grass production and the nutrient uptake by livestock, as well as a BEMP (section 3.5.2) on matching grazing intensity to biodiversity needs in high nature value grassland. The first one is more relevant for farms with intensively managed grazing livestock and aims at improving the efficiency of the system; the second one is more relevant for extensively managed farms that prioritise the compatibility of the agricultural activity with the natural environment they are part of. In many cases, however, the best practices described are relevant, with due adjustment to the specific case, for all farms. For instance, in the chapter on soil preparation, there is a BEMP (section 3.4.2) on minimising soil preparation by implementing non-inversion tillage or specialist drills, which is beneficial whatever the level of intensity of the farming.

In each of the BEMPs presented in the document, a specific text indicates whether they are relevant for specific farm types and for intensive and/or extensive farming. Additionally, this information is summarised in Table 2.3 where the different BEMPs are mapped across 12 major farm types. Simplification is inevitably involved, and many farms may include features of multiple farm types (e.g. mix of intensive and extensive areas, mixed animal and crop production). This guidance is indicative and the actual relevance of individual BEMPs to a specific organisation should be assessed by the organisation itself on a case by case basis.

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3.    BEST ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, SECTOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR

3.1.    Sustainable farm and land management

This section is relevant for all farmers and farm advisors and all farm types. It deals with the high level planning and management of the farm, also in relation with the wider landscape context where the farm is located. It provides a framework for prioritising measures to achieve resource efficient and environmentally responsible farming. However, the specific measures to address the different environmental aspects are not given in this section, but presented in detail in the following sections (3.2 — 3.10).

3.1.1.    Strategic farm management plan

BEMP is to put in place a strategic farm management plan including the following elements:

Applicability

This BEMP encompasses various elements that can be broadly applicable to all farm types addressed by this SRD. However, this BEMP is likely to be easier applicable in large farms due to the availability of more resources and potentially a better mapping of the operations carried out within the farms. Moreover, the collaboration with the adjacent farmers and public agencies, which actually set the priority of the actions to be taken at the landscape level, is an important element that influences the overall environmental performance of the farm and is more applicable to large farms.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.2.    Embed benchmarking in environmental management of farms

BEMP is to embed benchmarking in the implementation of an environmental management system (EMS) for the farm. The objective is to benchmark the environmental performance of the farm against the best achievable performance, in order to allow farm managers and/or farm advisors to identify areas of excellence and areas where further improvement is needed. This can be implemented through systematic monitoring and reporting of the environmental performance of the farm at process level. Thanks to this, the EMS can focus more effectively on the areas with the poorest performance or the highest improvement potential. The main aspects of an EMS based on benchmarking are:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all farm types. In large farms where extensive regular reporting is already in place, and which may have available resources to carry out the actions outlined (e.g. to afford the purchase of the equipment needed), it is likely that this BEMP may be more easily applicable. However, this BEMP is also applicable to small farms, subject to access of farmers to appropriate training and advice, and may eventually lead to greater environmental performance improvement on such farms, by encouraging systematic performance monitoring and optimisation.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.3.    Contributing to water quality management at river basin level

BEMP is to implement catchment sensitive farming measures planned at the level of an entire catchment to minimise water pollution via nutrient, agrochemical, sediment and pathogen run-off.

This includes:

Applicability

Catchment-sensitive farming is broadly applicable to all farm types. It is more easily applicable in smaller catchment areas typically involving fewer land owners. The practical implementation of this BEMP will also depend upon the governance structure for the river basin district where the farm may be located.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.4.    Landscape level biodiversity management

BEMP is to devise and implement a biodiversity action plan that supports natural habitats and local biodiversity and includes measures such as:

Applicability

The principles of this BEMP are applicable to all farm types, sizes and locations. Usually extensive farms (such as organic agriculture producers) give more prominence to these measures, but more intensive farms can also implement actions contributing to these objectives. In any case, the specific measures to be included in the action plan strongly depend on local circumstances, the labour costs as well as the business model and intensity level of the farm.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.5.    Energy and water efficiency

BEMP is to devise and implement appropriate plans to monitor and manage energy and water use within the farm. The key characteristics of such plans are summarised below, separately for energy and water.

Energy:

BEMP is to implement an energy management plan for the entire farm based on total energy use mapped across major energy-using processes, including indirect energy use, with targets for energy use reduction. Examples of measures that can be included in the plan are:

Water:

BEMP is to implement a water management plan for the entire farm based on total water use mapped across major water-using processes, including indirect water consumption with targets for reducing abstracted water. Examples of measures that can be included in the plan are:

Applicability

The BEMP is broadly applicable to all farm types. However, the outlined actions (both for energy and water management) are likely to be more easily applicable to those farms, which are usually large farms, that already have in place monitoring systems and thus have the possibility to develop and implement more detailed plans.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.6.    Waste management

BEMP is to implement in-house waste management practices ( 9 ) following the waste management hierarchy ( 10 ). These include:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all farm types and sizes. The distance between the farm and the anaerobic digestion or composting plant may be a limitation for the farms, especially the smaller ones (when the treatment of the organic waste takes place off-site); whereas space within the farm (for treatment on-site) is required. Plastic waste management is especially relevant to protected horticulture farms (as addressed in BEMP 3.10.3), as well as to farms producing silage bales.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.1.7.    Engage consumers with responsible production and consumption

BEMP is to engage with consumers, bringing them closer to food production and responsible farming practices and stimulating them to adopt responsible consumption by:

Applicability

All farms may decide to engage with consumers, e.g. by hosting open days for the public, establishing direct selling schemes or using social media to communicate about the farm (planting new crops, harvesting, type and timing of the operations carried out, information about the selling points etc.). However, this BEMP is particularly applicable to smaller extensive agriculture farms, such as small organic producers, serving a local market (including horticultural ones). Cooperation with local food processors is particularly relevant for cereal and livestock farmers.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.2.    Soil quality management

This section is relevant to mixed, arable and horticultural farms, and for both intensive and extensive farming. It deals with assessment and mitigation of the soil risks, planning actions to maintain or improve soil quality and monitoring soil conditions.

3.2.1.    Management plan for assessing and maintaining soil physical condition

BEMP is to devise and implement a soil protection plan aimed at maintaining soil quality and functionality. The plan should include measures such as:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all mixed, arable and horticultural farms, both practising intensive and extensive agriculture. Most of the measures included in the soil protection plan have relatively low investment costs and can yield significant benefits in terms of productivity, though possibly with some delay.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.2.2.    Maintain/improve soil organic matter on cropland

BEMP is to incorporate organic amendments to soil by importing high-quality organic materials that will contribute to improving soil structure. Organic matter may be imported to agricultural soils through:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to arable farms, both for intensive and extensive systems, provided that all the added organic inputs are accounted for in the field nutrient management plan (see BEMP 3.3.1).

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.2.3.    Maintain soil structure and avoid erosion and compaction

BEMP is to:

Applicability

Techniques to control soil erosion and compaction and to maintain soil structure are broadly applicable to all farm types and in most locations. Water erosion is a common problem across Europe, while wind erosion is more of a problem in the drier south and east of Europe. In large farms, the BEMP seems more applicable because of potentially more available resources to carry out the actions outlined, afford the purchase of the equipment/machinery needed and/or acquire the competences/knowledge to implement successfully the actions above.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.2.4.    Soil drainage management

BEMP is to manage soil drainage to maintain fertility and minimise nutrient losses by:

Applicability

The applicability of this BEMP strongly depends to a great extent upon local parameters like the topography of the field (slope angle and length of the field, soil type and soil aggregate size, size of the area draining into the catchment area) and the cropping system. In particular, improved drainage practices are broadly applicable to most non-sandy and non-organic arable and grassland soils while drainage should be avoided or minimised in peat soils and wetlands.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.3.    Nutrient management

This section is relevant for all farm types (including livestock farms). It deals with practices that ensure that the application of nutrients matches crop and animal needs, to optimise yield and obtain the maximum benefit from the nutrients applied while ensuring that the carrying capacity of the environment is fully respected.

3.3.1.    Field nutrient budgeting

BEMP is to ensure that crop nutrient requirements are met, while, at the same time, not applying nutrients in excess, through nutrient budgeting at the field level. The main aim of this BEMP is to achieve the ‘economic optimum’ crop yield and quality and to minimise input costs, as well as to protect soil and water and avoid air emissions. This can be achieved by:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all farm types and is a key practice that strongly influences the environmental performance and the productivity of the farm. The measures enabling field nutrient budgeting have relatively low investment costs and can yield significant benefits in terms of production efficiency. An indicative cost range to compile a complete field nitrogen input-output budget is EUR 200 to EUR 500 per farm annually, depending on the size and type of farming system and on the level of external advice required.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.3.2.    Crop rotation for efficient nutrient cycling

BEMP is to optimise nitrogen cycling by incorporating legumes into crop rotation cycles ( 11 ). Legumes optimise the nitrogen input via biological nitrogen fixation and maximise the nitrogen transfer to subsequent crops with minimum nitrogen leaching losses. To make the most of biological nitrogen fixation, a crop rotation cycle should contain at least one legume crop and one break crop ( 12 ) (e.g. a grass clover ley grown as a main crop or as a catch crop ( 13 )) over a five-year period. The presence in crop rotation of plants fixing atmospheric nitrogen should be taken into account when determining overall nutrient inputs to soils and applying nutrients.

Applicability

Biological nitrogen fixation through legume crops is broadly applicable to all farming systems. It is particularly relevant for organic agriculture systems or low-fertiliser input systems and also highly important for arable land with a short supply of organic nutrients. However, this BEMP is not applicable to farming systems with peaty soils that have a low pH value because soil acidity adversely affects the mechanism of biological nitrogen fixation.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.3.3.    Precision nutrient application

BEMP is to:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to mixed, arable and horticultural farms. Split applications of nutrients are mainly used for cereals.

Precise application implies significant investment and operational costs, for equipment purchasing and labour costs (e.g. for acquisition of georeferenced data on nutrient needs, multiple GPS-guided nutrient applications) and is thus more applicable to large farms for which the payback time of the investment would be shorter. However, for small and medium size farms, or for those farms with limited investment capacity, it is often possible to rent the equipment needed to implement precision application or to outsource this task to a specialised company that owns and operates the necessary equipment.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.3.4.    Selecting synthetic fertilisers with lower environmental impact

Manufacture of mineral nitrogen requires large quantities of energy and gives rise to considerable greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions, depending on the type of compounds, the efficiency of the manufacturing plants and the nitrous oxide (N2O) abatement techniques applied ( 15 ). Therefore, whenever farmers need to use synthetic nitrate based fertilisers, BEMP is to select products with a documented lower carbon footprint ( 16 ).

Moreover, whenever a farmer selects urea-based fertilisers, BEMP is to select products, whose granules are coated with a nitrification inhibitor. The nitrification inhibitor slows down the rate of hydrolysis to ammonium and ammonia. Additionally, it allows precise nitrogen delivery to the crops, by slowing down nitrate production to a rate which more closely matches crop uptake.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to mixed arable and horticultural farms using mineral fertilisers.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.4.    Soil preparation and crop planning

This section is relevant to mixed, arable and horticulture farms and deals with techniques and choices in soil preparation and crop planning that protect and enhance soil quality.

3.4.1.    Matching tillage operations to soil conditions

BEMP is to match tillage operations to soil types and soil conditions in order to optimise crop establishment and protect the soil.

Selecting cultivation techniques such as minimum tillage and direct drilling reduces the cultivation intensity and the depth and extent of soil disturbance, and protects soils by avoiding:

Moreover, tillage and sowing operations need to be carefully timed with respect to soil moisture, soil type and weather conditions:

The cultivation of peat soils should be avoided due to the high risk of nutrient leaching and carbon oxidation. Peat soils need to be kept covered with a long-term grass ley in order to maintain the organic matter content of the soil; tillage operations to reseed the ley should be limited to a maximum frequency of once every five years.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to mixed, arable and horticultural farms.

The minimum tillage and direct drilling techniques are recommended for early winter sowing. Moreover they are recommended for clay loam soils and are not suitable for sandy or poorly structured soils.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.4.2.    Minimising soil preparation operations

BEMP is to use non-inversion tillage operations or specialist drills for crop establishment rather than conventional ploughing. Soil preparation operations that can maintain and improve soil structure, porosity and microbial activity, are:

Applicability

The soil preparation operations listed in this BEMP are broadly applicable to arable farms. Direct drilling reduces soil losses, conserves soil moisture, increases water infiltration and reduces surface flows. It is best carried out on stable soil that maintains its structure throughout the growing season such as clays, silty clay loams and clay loams. However, it should be avoided on sandy soils, compacted soils, fields with serious weed problems and with crops that require specific tilth conditions (e.g. potatoes). Similarly, strip tillage should be avoided in wet soils because it can result in compaction. Reduced tillage runs the risk of weed infestation but can be properly managed by skilful crop rotation and practices like stale seedbeds. Additionally, the use of reduced tillage operations is not suitable for sandy soils.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.4.3.    Mitigating tillage impacts

BEMP is to carry out practices that mitigate the impacts of soil tillage operations and thus reduce the soil erosion potential and increase or maintain the soil organic carbon content: ( 18 )

Applicability

The measures of this BEMP are broadly applicable to mixed, arable and horticultural farms. However, when the practice of cultivation and drilling across the slope (contour) is chosen, crops requiring furrow cultivation may not be suitable.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.4.4.    Crop rotation as a measure for soil protection

This BEMP outlines the main design principles of crop rotation schemes for soil protection and enhancement. BEMP is to:

Besides crop rotations over time, BEMP is to ensure spatial diversity within and beyond the farm. Adjacent fields within a farm or on different farms should contain different crops in order to avoid the propagation of pathogens and pests and reduce the risk of erosion.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to mixed, arable and horticultural farms. The measures described are particularly effective when there is the potential to develop them over the long term.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.4.5.    Establishing cover crops and catch crops

BEMP is to avoid leaving any cropland bare over the winter by establishing cover crops and catch crops. Catch crops retain nutrients in the root zone. Cover crops protect the soil against erosion and minimise the risk of surface run-off by improving the infiltration. Cover crops can sometimes act as a catch crop by mopping up the spring flush of nitrate nitrogen.

It is BEMP to assess the potential to integrate catch/cover crops into cropping plans and to leave land bare during winter only when duly justified.

Applicability

Cover and catch crops are suited for use in any cropping system on tillage land, where bare soil is vulnerable to nutrient leaching, erosion or surface run-off in the period following main-crop harvest. Catch and cover crops can be sown under the previous main crop or immediately after its harvest. They are mainly used prior to spring-sown crops.

In some locations, farmers and regional water managers may want to avoid cover crops, due to the increase in evapotranspiration that they cause. More generally, they are effective in areas where there is a precipitation surplus during wintertime, and should be avoided in areas where planting cover crops may result in subsequent drought.

Furthermore, cover crops may cause structural damage when they are planted late or in wet conditions, resulting in poor utilisation of soil nitrogen by both the cover crop and the subsequent crops, and increased particulate phosphorus and sediment loss risks.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.5.    Grass and grazing management

This section deals with grassland management practices and is relevant to livestock farms, with best practices for both intensive and extensive farm types.

3.5.1.    Grass management

BEMP is to make the best possible use of grass areas used for grazing on livestock farms by maximising pasture growth rate and pasture quality as well as its utilisation by livestock, while ensuring that average grass cover rates are achieved at critical times of the year. This encourages higher digestibility and nutritional value (and thus productivity) of feed while reducing purchased feed requirements, potentially reducing methane and ammonia emissions and avoiding upstream environmental impacts associated with feed production.

The following measures can contribute to pursuing these objectives:

Applicability

This BEMP is specifically relevant for farms with intensively managed grazing livestock, in particular beef, dairy and sheep farms. Strip grazing is suitable for beef and dairy cattle.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.5.2.    Managing high nature value grassland

In areas of high natural value, BEMP is to keep low stocking rates to match grazing intensity to biodiversity needs and time mowing (for haylage) in consideration of biodiversity. Special software can be used to select appropriate grassland conservation measures including different mowing and/or grazing regimes. At the landscape level, the creation of a mosaic of different mowing regimes increases species diversity, since different mowing times suit different organisms, and, more generally, applying a low annual cutting frequency promotes wild plants and invertebrates.

Applicability

This BEMP is relevant to extensively managed high natural value grassland such as alpine land, upland, moorland, coastal land, sites of specific scientific interest, Natura 2000 sites and special areas of conservation.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.5.3.    Pasture renovation and legume inclusion in permanent pasture and leys

When required because of a drop in dry matter productivity or because of the need to improve pasture quality, BEMP is to apply over-seeding or, when needed, reseeding in order to maintain or recover high yields and to ensure good pasture quality (e.g. digestibility, measured by the D-value of pasture).

Over-seeding refers to a minimum-tillage approach whereby new seeds are planted directly on the original grassland, without damaging the existing grass or soil, improving pasture quality and productivity without sacrificing existing forage growth. It is facilitated by livestock trampling-in the seeds to improve soil-to-seed contact. Reseeding refers to ploughing out and seeding a whole new sward, which may be necessary to ensure good establishment in some conditions.

A key aspect of pasture renovation is the selection of the most suitable varieties. Legumes play a key fertilising role by fixing nitrogen. For maximum productivity, ryegrasses with higher yields and good nitrogen use efficiency are considered the ideal companion to legumes, converting nitrates produced by clover into digestible biomass yield. Particularly palatable and digestible varieties, such as high-sugar grasses, can significantly increase the dry matter intake by livestock and support higher feed conversion ratio. Growing a mix of four species (a fast-establishing non-nitrogen fixing grass such as ryegrass, a fast-establishing nitrogen-fixing legume such as red clover, a temporally persistent non-fixing flowering grass such as cocksfoot and a temporally persistent nitrogen-fixing legume such as white clover) results in greater yields compared to monocultures regardless of soil type, soil fertility and climate.

Applicability

The BEMP is primarily aimed at intensive systems. Pasture renovation is rarely undertaken in extensively grazed and mown areas, which are not managed to maximise productivity.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.5.4.    Efficient silage production

BEMP is to maximise output from silage by applying good growing conditions, harvesting at the right time, and using the best preservation and storage techniques. This is achieved by the following measures:

Applicability

This BEMP is specifically relevant for intensive farms producing mainly grass silage but some aspects are also applicable to livestock farms producing other types of silage.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.    Animal husbandry

This section is relevant to livestock farms and focuses on ruminants. Best practices for non-ruminants are covered in the Reference Document on Best Available Techniques for Intensive Rearing of Poultry and Pigs (IRPP BREF) ( 20 ). This section addresses both extensive and intensive livestock systems.

3.6.1.    Locally adapted breeds

BEMP is to select the appropriate ( 21 ) animal breeds or strains according to the farm type and adapted to the local conditions. Different objectives can be pursued:

Applicability

Selecting locally adapted breeds is broadly applicable to livestock farms, and particularly relevant for grazing of marginal land or farms in harsh climates.

Local, rare and traditional breeds are more relevant for extensively managed livestock farms where biodiversity protection and conservation of the grassland environment may be the priorities. This is because, under good production conditions, local, rare and traditional breeds tend to be less productive than those breeds that are selected owing to high productivity and resource efficiency.

Selecting and developing more resource-efficient breeds is, by contrast, more relevant for intensive livestock systems aiming at maximum yield.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.2.    Nutrient budgeting on livestock farms

BEMP is to monitor the nutrient flows at farm level and optimise the nutrient surpluses by accounting for all nutrient inputs (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)) to the farm and nutrient outputs exported in livestock products, and calculating the nutrient surplus and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) at farm level ( 22 ). Farm level NUE enables farm systems to be compared in terms of the overall efficiency of production.

Applicability

All livestock farms can implement, and benefit from, farm level nutrient budgeting, and this is most relevant for mixed farming systems and intensive livestock farms. The costs for implementing farm-level nutrient budgeting on livestock farms are relatively low.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.3.    Dietary reduction of nitrogen excretion

BEMP is to reduce nitrogen excretion by implementing nutritional measures:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to both ruminants and monogastric livestock and is mostly relevant to intensive farming systems. Some measures, such as the adoption of low-protein feed, are only applicable to housed animals, and may entail the risk of reduced productivity.

The costs associated with implementing this BEMP are usually limited. For instance, if maize silage grown on the farm is preferred over starchy concentrates, this BEMP results in reduced costs because of the reduced need for importing feeds to the farm.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.4.    Dietary reduction of enteric methane in ruminants

BEMP is to apply a diet that reduces methane emissions from enteric fermentation of ruminants by increasing forage digestibility and digestible forage intake; for instance, this can be implemented by substituting grass with legume silage, which is lower in fibre and stimulates higher dry matter intake and an increased rate of rumen passage ( 25 ).

Applicability

This BEMP is only relevant to ruminants. The introduction of legume silage production in warm climates may be effective although low persistence and a need for long establishment periods are important agronomic constraints.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.5.    Green procurement of feed

BEMP is to:

Applicability

Green procurement of feed is broadly applicable to all livestock farms. However, the availability of certified feeds may sometimes be limited. Additionally there is often a small price premium associated with certified feeds.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.6.    Maintain animal health

BEMP is to implement practices in order to maintain animal health, reduce the need for veterinary treatments and minimise stock morbidity and mortality:

Applicability

Maintaining animal health is an important measure for all livestock farms. It also makes sense for economic reasons, as healthy animals are more productive.

In order to reduce costs and improve effectiveness, neighbouring farms can jointly devise a preventive healthcare programme and arrange for a joint provision of veterinary services.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.6.7.    Herd/flock profile management

BEMP is to optimise herd/flock profile management in order to mitigate methane emissions from enteric fermentation and optimise resource efficiency by increasing productivity. This can be achieved by:

Applicability

Herd profile management is applicable to all livestock farming systems regardless the size. However, specialised staff, or time for the existing staff to acquire the relevant competences and knowledge, may be required and, in some cases, constitutes a barrier to its implementation by small farms.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.    Manure management

This section is relevant to livestock farms and particularly to intensive cattle farming systems. Best practices for manure management in intensive pig and poultry production are covered in the Best Available Techniques Reference Document for the Intensive Rearing of Pigs or Poultry (IRPP BREF) ( 28 ).

3.7.1.    Efficient housing

This BEMP focuses on the reduction of ammonia emissions from cattle housing in the context of manure management while also reducing methane emissions from housing.

The main design criteria of an efficient housing system are to:

Applicability

The BEMP is broadly applicable to cattle farms. It can be implemented very cost-effectively when building new housing, or during renovation of existing housing systems. High capital cost measures such as chemical scrubbing may be applicable in large confined dairy systems, but not in typical dairy and beef systems.

An efficient cattle housing system should balance any possible trade-offs between reduction of environmental impacts and animal welfare.

In some cases, the best performance in reducing ammonia and methane emissions can be achieved by firstly minimising the amount of time animals spend indoors, before improving housing design.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.2.    Anaerobic digestion

BEMP is to treat slurries and manures in an on-farm anaerobic digestion system or at an adjacent anaerobic digestion plant to produce biogas that can be captured and used to generate heat and electricity or upgraded to biomethane, displacing fossil fuels. Anaerobic digestion also converts organic nitrogen into forms that are more readily available for plant uptake, thus enhancing the fertiliser replacement value of slurries and manures.

Supplementing slurries and manures, with other organic residues ( 29 ) generated on the farm can compensate for reduced feedstock availability during the grazing season, ensuring operational stability and maintaining constant production of biogas.

The best environmental performance from anaerobic digestion systems is achieved by avoiding storage losses of methane and ammonia through gas-tight digestate storage.

The following options can be considered by livestock farms:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to livestock farms and specifically relevant for mixed farms with large areas of (carbon-depleted) soils, used for arable or horticultural crops, which would benefit from digestate application. Slurries are better suited to anaerobic digestion than solid manures, which may be composted, although it is possible to feed manures into anaerobic digestion plants as a minority feedstock. The implementation scale and the capacity of the plant are the key elements that influence the economic viability of on-farm anaerobic digestion. Therefore cooperation with neighbouring farms or local waste management organisations may be an essential condition for the implementation of this BEMP.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.3.    Slurry/digestate separation

BEMP is to separate the on-farm generated slurries or the digestate from on-farm anaerobic digestion into solid and liquid fractions prior to storage and application to agricultural land. This separation allows more precise management of nutrients contained in the slurry/digestate because more of the nitrogen is in the liquid fraction and more of the phosphorus is in the solid fraction. Indeed, slurries and digestate deliver relatively high loads of plant-available phosphorus compared with nitrogen loads. Separation can help to avoid over-loading soils with phosphorus, and to distribute organic matter and phosphorus in the solid fraction to fields further away from the animal housing.

Several separation techniques exist. Decanter centrifugation is one of the most efficient at retaining phosphorus and producing a drier solid fraction.

The separation efficiency can be improved by using additives such as brown coal, bentonite, zeolite, crystals and efficient microorganisms and/or applying pre-treatments like flocculation, coagulation and precipitation.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to livestock farms. Farms with limited availability for slurry storage may find it particularly beneficial because of the reduction in slurry volume, while the possibility to apply nitrogen independently from phosphorus is very valuable for farms in nitrate-vulnerable zones.

However, this BEMP is not applicable to farms where most manure is managed in solid manure systems, such as deep-bedding ones (many beef cattle and sheep farms) and it may not be economically viable for small farms.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.4.    Appropriate slurry processing and storage systems for slurry or digestate

When there is no opportunity for anaerobic digestion of slurries ( 30 ), BEMP is to employ techniques that reduce the ammonia (NH3) emissions and in parallel maintain a high nutrient value of manure, in view of their application on agricultural land. This is achieved by the following measures:

Best practice for slurry storage systems is also best practice for anaerobic digestate storage tanks.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to large pig, poultry and dairy farms where animals are housed for a large proportion of the year.

In some Member States, there are concerns about the potential hazards of the acids used for slurry acidification. Additionally, the use of sulphuric acid may impact the durability of some types of concrete used to build the storage tanks because of a sulphate reaction, but these impacts can be mitigated by appropriate concrete selection.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.5.    Appropriate solid manure storage

BEMP is to compost or batch store all the solid fractions arising from manure management systems. Batch storage is the storage of solid manure for at least 90 days before spreading on fields, during which time no fresh manure is added to the heap. The stored manure heap needs to be covered and located away from watercourses; any potential run-off needs to be collected and diverted into either an on-site liquid slurry system or back onto the manure heap.

Applicability

The BEMP is broadly applicable to livestock farms, and specifically for farms located in areas where there is a high risk of pathogen transfer to water systems. However, it is not relevant for farms in areas where fresh manure can be directly incorporated into soils (e.g. nearby tilled soils) during spring, as this option can lead to a better overall environmental performance.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.6.    Injection slurry application and manure incorporation

Ammonia emissions from soils occur immediately following slurry or manure application, and can be largely avoided by the injection of slurry below the soil surface or incorporation of manures below the soil surface by inversion ploughing or alternative techniques.

Therefore BEMP is to:

Applicability

Shallow injection of slurries works best for slurries with a low dry matter content, ideally lower than 6 %, and is best suited to the separated liquid fractions of slurries or digestates. Injection application enables precise dosing and placement of slurries but is not possible on steeply sloping, stony, clay, peaty or shallow soils, in which case other techniques such as trailing shoe or banded application may be preferable (see BEMP 3.7.7).

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.7.7.    Slurry application to grassland

BEMP is to apply slurries to grassland via shallow injection (see BEMP 3.7.6). When this is not possible, BEMP is to apply:

Applicability

Banded spreading and trailing shoe applications are broadly applicable to livestock farms. If a farm does not own the necessary equipment, it can appoint a contractor to provide this service.

One potentially limiting factor for the trailing shoe application is the slurry ‘thickness’ (i.e. high solids content), especially when using umbilical systems.

The application of slurries to grassland should always to be implemented respecting the nutrient budgeting principles outlined in BEMP 3.3.1.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.8.    Irrigation

This section is relevant for all farms using irrigation, and especially for farms located in areas of water scarcity. It relates to efficient irrigation techniques that minimise water use and/or maximise water use efficiency (WUE ( 31 )).

3.8.1.    Agronomic methods for optimising irrigation demand

BEMP is to optimise irrigation demand by the following measures:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all farms using irrigation and especially for farms located in arid areas. Some measures may require investment and operational costs which may be a barrier for small farms. However, these costs may be outbalanced by the savings resulting from the reduced use of water, and, in some cases, by increased profits due to higher yields.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.8.2.    Optimisation of irrigation delivery

BEMP is to select the most efficient irrigation system that optimises the irrigation delivery in the cultivated area:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to both arid and humid areas, to most soil types and mainly for crops planted in rows, e.g. alfalfa, cotton, corn.

Drip irrigation on clay soils must be applied slowly in order to avoid surface water ponding and run-off. On sandy soils, higher emitter discharge rates are needed to ensure adequate lateral wetting of the soil. For crops planted on slopes, the target is to minimise changes in emitter discharge rates as a result of land elevation changes.

In low-pressure sprinkler systems, the operating pressure should be adjusted to achieve the appropriate irrigation rate based on the soil's physical characteristics. For crops planted on slopes, low-pressure sprinklers can be used provided that the lateral pipes supplying water to the sprinklers are laid out along the land contour whenever possible, so that pressure is minimised and sprinklers provide a uniform irrigation.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.8.3.    Management of irrigation systems

BEMP is to efficiently operate and control irrigation systems, to avoid water losses and high run-off rates, and to avoid over- and/or under-irrigation incidents. Water meters are important to determine the exact amount of water used for irrigation and to detect water losses. Diversion ditches can collect run-off from sloping surfaces to minimise damage to crops.

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all farms using irrigation and especially for farms located in arid areas.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.8.4.    Efficient and controlled irrigation strategies

Optimal irrigation can be achieved with appropriate strategies aimed at avoiding over-irrigation or water deficit.

In regions where water resources are very limited, BEMP is the application of water deficit irrigation: in this strategy, the crop is exposed, during some growth stages or during the whole growing season, to a specific level of water stress that results in limited or no yield reduction.

An example of deficit irrigation is Partial Root Drying (PRD): it consists of alternately watering one side or the other of crops planted in a row, so that only parts of the roots are exposed to water stress.

Applicability

Deficit irrigation is specifically applicable in very arid areas where it makes sense for a farmer to maximise the net income per unit of water used rather than per unit of land. However, it cannot be used over extended time periods.

Before its application, it is essential to assess the impact of specific deficit irrigation strategies by running multi-year open-field experiments for each given crop in relevant agro-climatic zones.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.9.    Crop protection

This section is relevant for all farms. This section presents best practices on how farmers can implement a full set of actions to apply sustainable crop protection strategies to prevent pests occurrence, optimise and reduce the use of crop protection products, and, when these are needed, choose those products which have the lowest environmental impact and are the most compatible with the rest of the strategy. It is best practice for farmers to implement these actions going beyond the legal requirements and namely the provisions of Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 34 ) and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 35 ) which provide for the application of general principles of integrated pest management in Europe.

3.9.1.    Sustainable crop protection

BEMP is to control pest populations by adopting a dynamic crop protection management plan, which incorporates a preventive approach and key aspects of integrated pest management. The main elements of an effective dynamic crop protection management plan are as follows:

Applicability

This BEMP includes a large spectrum of techniques, which can be implemented individually or together and which need to be tailored to the crop and specific conditions of each region, farm and field. The definition and implementation of a dynamic crop protection management plan is broadly applicable, provided that the measures that it contains are well adapted to the specific case. For instance, biological pest control and crop rotation would be particularly relevant to an organic farm or a conventional extensive farming system.

Biological pest control is easily implemented in protected horticulture and orchards, where controlled conditions facilitate the quick development of high populations of introduced beneficials and prevent their migration out of the growing area. Meanwhile, it is more difficult to implement in open fields and especially in production systems with short crop cycles. More generally, the prevention measures and biological control are more effective when pest population levels are not too high when and where natural enemies are released; otherwise they may prove insufficient to protect the crops. Particular care is needed regarding the release of natural enemies: as a general rule, the release takes place when the temperature is relatively low, e.g. early in the morning or late in the afternoon/evening, under favourable weather conditions and in the best season for the specific organism.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.9.2.    Crop protection products selection

BEMP is to select crop protection products in compliance with the provisions of Directive 2009/128/EC as specific as possible for the target pest and with the lowest environmental impact ( 37 ) and lowest risk to human health. Farmers can achieve these objectives by consulting the labels of these products as well as by referring to publicly available databases that provide indications mainly on the toxicity of the pesticides to human health and/or to fauna and flora at a given use rate. The aim is to select products with the least toxicity, and which are as selective as possible towards the pest species to be tackled, while not interfering with the implemented biological control measures (e.g. natural enemies). The risk of pest resistance shall also be considered and a strategy put in place when needed. The specific characteristics of the crop and field to be treated (in particular proximity to water sources, soil characteristics, crop growing system, etc.) must also be taken into account in order to determine the suitability of a specific crop protection product.

Applicability

This BEMP is applicable for all farmers that need to use crop protection products.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.10.    Protected horticulture

This section is relevant to farms that grow covered fruit and vegetables crops (e.g. in greenhouses).

3.10.1.    Energy efficiency measures in protected horticulture

It is BEMP to reduce the energy demand of closed greenhouses and meet it with on-site renewable energy generation where feasible:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to protected horticulture farms.

The application of geothermal energy is limited, for instance because of the specificities of the temperature profile of the aquifer and the required investment.

The evaporative techniques involve the use of fresh water and thus the water availability needs to be taken into account. Moreover, the amount of water to be used must avoid increasing the humidity levels inside the greenhouse above its optimum (usually 65–70 %) and thus affecting the transpiration of the plants. This is specifically relevant for fogging techniques and in areas with a high level of atmospheric humidity.

Fogging techniques may also require large investments, because of the water distribution system needed.

Cooling pad systems are efficient only when the width of the greenhouse is more than 50m, but have the advantage that they can also run on seawater.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.10.2.    Water management in protected horticulture

BEMP is to maximise the irrigation efficiency of vegetable crops in closed greenhouses, which are located in arid areas by implementing the following actions:

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to all protected horticulture farms and very relevant to arid areas.

Closed loop systems are technically effective but are financially viable only in areas with good water quality or where high-value crops are cultivated that offset the costs of ensuring good water quality e.g. rain collection and/or desalinisation.

Micro-irrigation systems provide a high uniformity of distribution and high efficiency of application provided that proper dimensioning and design is ensured.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.10.3.    Waste management in protected horticulture

BEMP is to segregate correctly the different fractions of waste arising within the protected horticulture system and to:

Applicability

The elements of this BEMP are broadly applicable to all closed greenhouses and are also relevant for most other farms.

The bio-based plastic materials to be used should fulfil the following criteria:

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

3.10.4.    Selection of growing media

BEMP is to either purchase environmentally certified growing media (e.g. EU Ecolabel) or define one's own environmental criteria for the purchasing of the growing media (e.g. based on the criteria set in Commission Decision 2015/2099 ( 41 )).

Applicability

This BEMP is broadly applicable to protected horticulture farms that purchase growing media.

Associated environmental performance indicators and benchmarks of excellence

4.    RECOMMENDED SECTOR-SPECIFIC KEY ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The following table lists a selection of key environmental performance indicators for the agriculture sector, together with the related benchmarks and reference to the relevant BEMPs. These are a subset of all the indicators mentioned in section 3.