Making the HNV farmland concept work Why not

Making the HNV farmland concept work • Why not just maps? • Challenges – getting meaningful stocking density information – dealing with real farmers • A twin-track approach to the HNV issue

Why not just designate a HNV area? • Maps often not detailed enough • Mapping takes time • Mapping is fixed in time or expensive to repeat

• Farms which have a HNV system have higher costs and deliver higher benefits: they deserve to be identified as such • In a systems approach farmers can opt in

Calculating stocking densities • Livestock units

Calculating stocking densities • Livestock units • per ha (da) of farmed land – ALL farmed land not just UAA

Including common or communal land

Including land used informally or for less than one year

• must consider ACTUAL not legal ‘farmland’ • must start by ignoring IACS rules • e. g. forests • e. g. small parcels

Calculating stocking densities • Livestock units • per ha (da) of farmed land – ALL farmed land not just UAA • we need first to understand how it really works • remember we will pay support on per ha basis!!!

Challenges • For Commission – to recognise difficulties of aspects of policy and respond • e. g. IACS rules • e. g. intervention rate for Axis 1 measures • For Ministries – fulfil spirit of CAP reform and Axis 2 of EAFRD – co-operate to overcome inst. barriers to achieving objectives – take more pro-active approach with Commission, cooperating with other MS with similar issues • For advisory services – to engage with HNV farmers – to have relevant message for HNV farmers

Meeting the challenge - a twin track approach • Need locally-gathered information and tailoring of solutions • Need national framework responding to local info and interacting with EU • Need local implementation of both sensitive national measures and locally fine-tuned approaches

For example: Burren. Life project, Ireland • programme has administrator, ecologist and farm advisor • local analysis, tailored measures and monitoring • taking approach which can be translated into RDP • let down by lack of national responsiveness