Annex 3 Summary of ms assessments

Belgium

In Flanders, the agricultural sector is intensive, especially the livestock and horticulture sectors. The agricultural sector has been recognised as one of the key environmental problems due to intensive agricultural practices. Nutrient emissions remains a key environmental problem, although there has been a strong decrease in N, P and NH3 emissions due to a reduced fertilizer use, a decrease in livestock numbers, increased manure handling and improved feed efficiencies over the last years. Nevertheless, the nutrient soil balance is still far away from its 2010 objective. While the area under organic farming increased considerably over the past years, the relative area is still relatively low (0.4% of agricultural land) compared to other European countries.

In the Walloon region, agricultural production has intensified over the last years. Agriculture is concentrated on a reduced number of agricultural activities. The cereal crop area has decreased in favour of crops that leave the area uncovered during winter/spring. The permanent pastures area also decreased up until the mid-1990s. Livestock rearing, especially cattle production remains high, just as the production of pork and poultry. Livestock rearing is becoming more intensive. In this context, the main environmental problems due to agricultural pressures relate to diffuse pollution by nitrates in surface and underground waters, the impacts of the use of agrochemicals and the reduction in biodiversity in agricultural environments. In Walloon organic farming accounts for 2.6% of the agricultural land.

LEADER is used in Flanders for the economic revival of rural areas, support for local initiatives and strengthening the cooperation with other rural areas. Wallonia, on the other hand, focuses on LEADER activities to maintain and develop the attractiveness of rural areas.

In Flanders, the total public expenditure for axis 1 is 67%, whereas the total public expenditure for Axis 2 is 17%. There are many agri-environmental measures included in the Flemish RDP, taking the largest share of the axis 2 budget. Axis 2 also receives €40 M from the Flemish Regional Government for supporting agri-environmental payments (RD-code 214). Axis 3 and 4 account for respectively 9 and 5.6% of public expenditures.

In Wallonia, the total public expenditure for axis 1 is 47%, whereas the total public expenditure for axis 2 is 39%. The Walloon Regional Government does not provide additional support beyond the minimum co-funding requirements to the axis 2 budget.

Monitoring, control and review

In Flanders, there are clearly pre-defined targets and quantified output indicators that are conform to the Commission’s Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF). These indicators are used to monitor the success of measures. The Flanders RD programme also defines the number of farmers receiving agri-environmental support, the area under agri-environmental support, and the number of contracts.

In Wallonia there are also clearly pre-defined targets and quantified output indicators that are conform to the Commission’s Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (CMEF), and which are used to monitor success. General goals are given for the uptake of agri-environmental support for the region by 2013

Main strengths and weakness of the RD program as regards to water

In Flanders, all three axes have measures that have a link to water, but only one measure that explicitly refers to the WFD. In Wallonia however, only axis 1 and 2 have a link to water.

In Flanders, water quality issues are strongly integrated in the RDP. By integrating objectives related to environmental and nature improvements in other axes, the objectives of axis 2 are strengthened. There are 9 measures that have a direct or indirect link to water management issues. This corresponds to three quarters of the public expenditure budget. The majority of these measures with a direct or indirect link to water management issues (5 out of 9 measures and 78% of the budget foreseen for these 9 measures) are measures under axis 1. These measures include support for: training and advisory services to promote best practices, innovative techniques to reduce environmental pressures, improve water control, water treatment on farm and farmland drainage, compensation for areas under a manure spreading ban, restoring high nature value landscapes.

In Wallonia, water quality issues and particularly diffuse pollution by nitrates are explicitly put forward as a key environmental problem. Several measures try to tackle this problem, both under axis 1 and axis 2. These measures include support for: training and advisory services to promote best practices, techniques to treat and recuperate used water, restoring grass and heathlands, reducing pine plantations that reduce natural humidity.

In Flanders, there is a broad range agri-environmental measures for its farmers, which receive additional support from the Regional Government (€40 M). The main focus is on water quality issues and particularly on the reduction of nutrient emissions by decreasing fertiliser and herbicide use, the reduction of water erosion.

In Wallonia, there are 11 agri-environmental measures included in the Walloon RD programme out of which 10 will have a positive impact on the protection of surface and ground waters and 6 are likely to reduce soil erosion problems.

In Flanders, specific targets for individual measures are provided to indicate how performance will be measured and monitored – but this is not the case in Wallonia. In both regions, agri-environmental measures that make explicit reference to the WFD, provide no further details on the linkage with Art. 5 WFD assessments. There are also no links mentioned between the RDPs of Wallonia and Flanders.

Conclusions and options for further improvements of the RD as regards to water

In both Flanders and Wallonia, water quality problems due to agriculture are recognised as significant issues. This is reflected in the number of measures that aim to improve land and water management.

In Flanders specific targets for individual measures are provided to indicate how performance will be measured and monitored – it would be useful if this would also be the case in Wallonia, because Wallonia is an upstream, neighbouring region. This would also help in establishing links between the RDPs of Wallonia and Flanders. From a River Basin approach required under the WFD, a common approach for Belgium would be helpful to tackle water pollution problems.