Wolves in Europe © Shutterstock Countryside 184 Editorial Thierry De L’ESCAILLE, Secretary General

N° 184

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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 - BIMONTHLY - EN European Landowners’ Organization Pantone 364 CMYK 73 / 9 / 94 / 39

Wolves in Europe © Shutterstock CountrySide 184 Editorial Thierry de l’ESCAILLE, Secretary General

The courage to act

This end of year remains unprecedently insightful – while Ur- Contents sula von der LEYEN revealed the “European Green Deal”, it is still unclear after COP25 how we will achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2050 on a global level. 3 Wolves in Europe Keeping in mind that we have a long road ahead, the ELO has advocated for many years that one of the key tools to fulfill all 6 Climate Mitigation Policies for Europe: these old & new commitments, including the SDGs, is to pro- The Net Zero Target and the Agriculture, mote an active forest management. In this regard, we will be Forestry and Land Use Sector - ELO very attentive to the actions that the EU undertakes regard- Policy Proposals for UNFCCC COP25 at ing the recently adopted conclusions of the Council providing Madrid. political guidance on protecting and restoring the world’s forests. As underlined in the statement : “(Member States) agree that enhanced EU action is needed, and encourage the Com- 8 Pro Planet Apples from Lake Constance mission to urgently prioritize and implement the actions set and AI technology Apisfero winning pro- out in its communication, together with the member states, jects of the 2019 European Bee Award industry, organizations and institutions, civil society and partner countries as part of the European Green Deal”. 10 ELO General Assembly in Croatia - “A strong Europe in a world of chal- Let’s be clear: it is urgent that politicians and officials consider lenges” the experience from the field of the forest managers and real- ize that the last 20 years’ policy of inviting forest owners “to 12 Owners and livestock breeders: Guard- grow indigenous trees” has been affected by a massive forest ians of biodiversity dieback linked with climate change. Much of those indigenous trees are dying as they most probably should be grown in cur- Famigro Award rently more temperate or Nordic regions. Our trees cannot mi- “2020 CIC Hunting in Art” Prize grate north as such from one day to the next, and as growers we have the feeling to be a lost generation. Decision makers 13 SYSTEMIC: towards a circular economy have to be more open-minded and accept that some species, even not local ones, can fare much better against global 2 14 Smart information, governance and warming than others. business innovations for sustainable Last but not least, I wish us all to remain optimistic during supply and payment mechanisms for this forthcoming special time of family gatherings; but for the forest ecosystem services Year to come - to speed up our commitments for change, as I BIOPLAT-EU: to promote the market up- firmly believe that we have all an active role to play. take of sustainable bioenergy in Europe

15 REWARD - 3rd Transnational Meeting FARMID 4th meeting

16 agenda Shutterstock

Wolves in Europe

In September 2019 the European Commission published the report “Assessment of current knowledge on wolves in Europe with a view to their effective conservation and management, a partial review of the scientific literature on the wolf in Europe”. The study was commissioned to the European Landowners’ Organization within a strict framework described by the tender specifications. Here is an overview of the most important results.

Jurgen TACK, ELO Scientific Director 3

Actual population numbers (excluding Russia and Belarus) was home persal potential and colonizes new areas to approximately 17,000 wolves of which relatively easily. Recently, wolves have In addition to the assessment and re- 13,000 to 14,000 were present in the EU. naturally re-established breeding popula- porting carried out under Article 17 of tions in Finland, Sweden, Norway, France One of the wolf populations became ex- the Habitats Directive, in 2012 the con- and Germany. The wolf is also present in tinct (Spain, Sierra Morena) while the oth- servation status of European large car- Luxemburg, Denmark and Belgium cover- er nine are generally stable or increasing. In nivores was assessed, for each popula- ing all EU Member States with the excep- terms of their extinction threat, three pop- tion, by a group of experts from each tion of the island states. We can expect a ulations are assessed as “least concern”, country where large carnivores were pre- further expansion of the existing popula- three are “vulnerable” and three are “near sent. This information has been updat- tions. threatened” (according to IUCN criteria). ed for 2012-16 (https://www.lcie.org/ In Europe the wolf population is, in gener- Largecarnivores/Wolf.aspx; retrieved on Member States will provide new updated al, expanding westwards following areas 10 March 2019). Although the available data (up to 2018) by October 2019 in the of high ungulate concentrations. data and the methodology used varied framework of their reporting under Arti- greatly from country to country, this in- cle 17 of the Habitats Directive. formation represents the latest available Monitoring assessment of the status of large carni- vore (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ Distribution Data gathered in EU Member States make nature/conservation/species/carnivores/ use of many different monitoring sys- conservation_status.htm; retrieved on 10 The wolf is a habitat generalist with a tems. Several authors have stressed the March 2019). In 2016, continental Europe preference for woodland. It has a high dis- importance of improving the quality and CountrySide 184

harmonization of the different monitor- mitigation measures, compensations, methods to improve coexistence are fa- ing systems. technical assistance, information and voured. communication, dialogue and involve- Relevant data on range, population (num- ment of relevant stakeholders). Where bers and trends), habitat, threats and the wolf is listed as a strictly protected Hybrids pressures are collected according to a species, Member States may grant ad- common methodology for all species cov- hoc derogations from the strict protec- Hybridization can affect wildlife in a num- ered by the Habitats Directive. tion provisions in certain situations and ber of ways. Negative impacts include Monitoring programs are either based on under specific conditions, as described by loss of reproductive potential, lowered a systematic study design, or on passive the Directive. fitness of individuals that hybridize, in- monitoring where the public and volun- Derogations may not be the only or the teers were asked to report signs of grey troduction of maladaptive alleles into main tool to address conflicts. This issue wild populations, loss of genetic integ- wolf presence. In the latter case, distrust will be dealt with by the forthcoming up- rity, potential for disease transfer, and between groups may limit the availability date of the Commission guidance docu- legal consequences that may affect the and the reliability of data. Involving hunt- ment on species protection. ers and other stakeholders in data gath- individual or population’s conservation ering makes them aware of underlying status. problems, such as the number of livestock Social conflict kills and their impact on deer. Negative attitudes towards predators Wolf management plans have been found with livestock keep- Favorable Conservation Status ers, hunters, and residents in areas with Most of the current wolf management predators. Some people see predators plans focus on recovery and actions re- The wolf is well protected in the Euro- as a threat to their way of life, including lated to it. Wolf management plans pro- pean Union. Two international legislation economic interests, personal safety, the pose compensation methods for live- systems contribute to this protection: safety of pets and hunting dogs, as well stock (incl. sheep, goats, cattle, and hors- as competitors for game. . the Convention on the Conservation of es), verified to have been killed by a wolf, European Wildlife and Natural Habi- As the wolf populations are recovering and the opportunity to acquire subsidized tats (the Bern Convention), and and expanding to new areas the likeli- fences built specifically to keep wolves . Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the hood of humans encountering wolves out. Conservation of Natural Habitats and also increases rapidly and more social of Wild Fauna and Flora better known conflicts can be expected. Management plans are “dynamic”, mean- as the Habitats Directive ing they can be adjusted in response to The Habitats Directive requires meas- increased experience, e.g. from specific ures to maintain or restore the concerned Economic conflict conflicts. habitat types and species (including the France and Norway lose over 30 sheep per Many management plans do not specify wolf) at favourable conservation status wolf present. For the other EU Member a range, maximum number, or density (FCS) in their natural range. FCS for a spe- States this varies between 1 and 14. The cies is defined by the Directive in relation of wolves as an aim for the plan. They total sheep population in Europe is 86 to population dynamics, range, habitat do, however, state that individual wolves million. The high loss of livestock we see and future perspectives of the species. causing problems may be subject to dero- 4 in France, Norway (and Switzerland) are Every six years, Member States assess gation from protection. linked to their husbandry systems. Sheep and report to the Commission on the con- graze freely in mountain habitats and for- Most of the wolf management plans are servation status of all habitats and spe- ests without the use of fences, shepherds in reality wolf recovery plans. With in- cies covered by the Directive. In the lat- or dogs. est reporting (for the period 2007-2012) creasing wolf populations throughout the wolf was already reported as being in The most common protection against the Europe, management actions become a FCS for some Member States and biogeo- wolf includes electrified fences and/or more important aspect of the plan. graphic regions. The next reporting is tak- guarding dogs. Protection measures are ing place in 2019 (till October) with refer- often funded by national governments, ence to the period 2013-2018. the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and LIFE. Compensation payments are widespread. Derogation While they protect farmers against economic loss they do not stimulate farmers The complete study can be found on Favourable Conservation Status is meas- to take protective measures. the following web address: https:// uring a nature protection objective. How- op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/ ever, the measures taken to implement In many regions of Europe, the wolf publication/b11a6cd5-bd90-11e9-9d01- the Habitats Directive need to consider feeds on hunted species including ungu- 01aa75ed71a1/prodSystem-cellar/lan- the economic, social and cultural require- lates, such as the moose. Wolves are also ments and the regional and local charac- known to occasionally kill hunting dogs. guage-en/format-PDF. ELO is preparing teristics. In order to address any possi- Several inhabitants of the countryside an illustrated version of the study com- ble social or economic conflict associated consider hunting as the most important plemented with policy recommenda- with wolf conservation, Member States method for improving coexistence whilst tions based on the study but integrating may use several tools (e.g. prevention and at the national level more alternative the concerns of its membership. Josef Höger (1801–1877), Detail from “View of Palais Rasumofsky the garden pavilion,” after 1837 © LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

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Climate Mitigation Policies for Europe:

The Net Zero Target and the Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use Sector - ELO Policy Proposals for UNFCCC COP25 at Madrid.

Michael SAYER, ELO Special Adviser

1. The point of departure for this note is attributable to cattle. However, because reallocating the arable land in question ei- the AFOLU gap between annual agricul- arable land is also used in part to grow live- ther to bioenergy (typically within the an- tural emissions (CH4 and N2O) and annual stock feed, a proportion (unquantified) of nual cropping rotation) or LUC (principally net sequestration under LULUCF. For the 3.D.1 (direct N2O emissions from managed afforestation). EU in 2017, this gap amounted to 191 Mt soils, accounting for 31 per cent of emis- Manipulation of the C: N balance in diet, CO2 eq, (440 – 249 net LULUCF sequestra- sions) and 3.D.2 (N2O from atmospheric and manure management, are good com- tion). deposition, N leaching and run-off, ac- plementary measures but fundamental- For some countries (such as the UK), the counting for 7 per cent of emissions) is also ly are probably too marginal to be game- gap is relatively bigger than the EU gap be- attributable to livestock (and principally changers, in particular because of diffi- cause of the relative lack of forest cover. cattle) systems. The livestock sector will culties of measurement, verification and In 2015, 21 Member States had over 30 per require significant support in the transi- permanence. Moreover, intensification cent forest or other woodland cover, Hun- tion to Net Zero. (…) locks livestock systems into prior cycles of gary 24 per cent and Belgium 23 per cent, emissions. compared with Denmark 15 per cent, UK 13 per cent, Netherlands and Ireland 11 per 3. Detailed figures are not readily availa- cent (Eurostat). Moreover, the inclusion ble for the proportion of crops from arable 4. Reducing use of N-based fertiliser would of revised estimates for emissions from land that become livestock feed, but Fig- also be an option. This might be achieved peatland may indicate a net UK LULUCF ure 5.2 (b) from Climate Change and Land by longer arable rotations. For example, source. (IPCC, 2019), indicates the global growth the Holkham estate (Norfolk, UK) has in use of crop production for animal feed lengthened cropping rotations to improve 3.B.2 - N2O and 3.A.2 - Enteric since 1960. fertility, using a six-year rotation avoiding NMVOC emissions - Fermentation - All this would suggest that livestock num- consecutive straw crops (winter barley, oil- Farming - N2O sheep- CH4 5% 38% bers, and especially cattle numbers, which seed rape, winter wheat, potatoes, spring according to A.BUCKWELL, Safe Operating barley, sugar beet) while the Esterházy es- 3.D.2 - Agricultural Space for European Livestock (RISE, 2018) tate (Burgenland, Austria) converted to Soils - Farming - N2O Other are, conservatively, twice as high in the organic agriculture in 2003, introducing a 5% 5% EU as needed for grazing permanent pas- nine-year rotation which includes lucerne ture, are central to reducing GHG emissions and oats or another fodder crop for grazing from agriculture. livestock (currently 120 animals). (…) 6 3.A.1 - Enteric This might be done, potentially, by bring- Fermentation - ing numbers of cattle into line with perma- Cattle - CH4 nent pasture, reducing as far as possible 5. Increasing Carbon Sequestration 38% 3.B.1 - Farming - CH4 prior cycles of emissions from the use of Bearing in mind the need for additionality, 9% arable land for growing livestock feed, and verification and permanence, the most at-

3.D.1 - Agricultural soils - Direct N2O emission from managed soils - N2O 31% 15 10

1. Annual EU GHG Inventory 1990-2017 and Inventory Report 2019, Fig. 5.3 5

It will be seen that the weight of livestock in the emissions is 3.A.1 (CH4 from enter-

ic fermentation from cattle, 38 per cent) Calories (1015 kcal/yr) plus 3.A.2 (CH4 from enteric fermentation from sheep, 5 per cent) plus 3.B.1 (CH4 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 from manure management, 9 per cent) plus 3.B.2 (N2O and NMVOC emissions Year from manure management, 5 per cent), 3. Climate Change and Land (2019), Fig. 5.2 (b) the 3.B emissions being overwhelmingly CountrySide 184

Livestock Buy-out of excess livestock numbers (herds or part herds). This could be timed to coincide with normal replacement. It would be for consideration whether this might be also structured as a kind of capi- tal/retirement payment. Stewardship grants for livestock on permanent pasture at agreed stocking rate Compulsory manure management for housed livestock, including when season- ally housed Complementary measure: adjust feed balance of housed livestock, where additional emissions are not generated

Peatland restoration grants There will already be some experience of this, and there are about 100 schemes of different sizes in Scotland. tractive measures will involve LUC through 6. Energy and Material Substitution Reducing use of artificial N fertiliser afforestation or, where appropriate, a This is very much part of afforestation Support of N-fixation through the inclu- switch from arable to permanent pasture. and moving land within the arable rotation sion of leguminous crops within a length- Afforestation ought to be treated also as away from supporting housed livestock ened arable rotation a climate adaptation (resilience) meas- systems. At one end of the scale, the scope Precision farming. This is an important ure, while locally (e.g., restoration of flood is indicated by wooden blocks of flats be- but essentially complementary measure. plains) conversion to permanent pasture ing built in, e.g., Sundby (Stockholm) and would be more appropriate. elsewhere. The need to develop strong Bioenergy markets here is clear. One way would be However, the design of sylvicultural sys- Development of the bioenergy option for through appropriate building regulations. tems will be very important in order to op- break crops within the annual arable rota- timise resilience, carbon stock and poten- tion and for cereals failing to reach mill- tial for substitution. There must be a pref- ing or malting quality, e.g. bioethanol as 7. A summary of some available measures erence for mixed and, eventually, uneven- a use for feed-quality wheat or barley and aged, continuous cover structures, coupled Afforestation for sugar beet. with use of a periodic forest inventory (setting out standing volumes by species Planting grants to establish new affores- Support for Miscanthus and short-rotation and age classes) for management. tation coppice. There is, however, considerable scope for Thinning grants for management to enable improving undermanaged small wood- optimum growth The full version of the paper is available 7 lands. on ELO website. Annual stewardship grant (comparable, Restoration (re-wetting) of peatland is, e.g., to Higher Level Stewardship in UK) bearing in mind the size of the carbon Trading of carbon in post-1990 afforesta- stock in peat, and therefore the potential tion on the basis of timelimited certifi- sink in re-wetted peat, another essential, cates linked to the periodicity of the forest albeit localised measure. inventory. Under such a system, the onus It should be noted that the C benefits, would be on the buyer to renew. while significant, are not rapid, and the Introduction of a requirement for a forest CALM methodology developed as an ad- junct to D. VINER et al., Climate Change inventory as a condition of C trading and and the European Countryside (Climatic of grants for above a given area (say 0.5 Research Unit, University of East Anglia, ha). ELO and Country Land and Business As- Agroforestry sociation, 2006, Annex I) averaged C gain in peaty soils over 300 years in UK condi- These are essentially complementary tions. measures which will increase local resilience, e.g. hedgerow planting and/or man- Because of the time-lag in optimising ad- agement, and planting trees on permanent ditional sequestration and substitution, pasture. Additional carbon benefits could it is necessary to take a view of 2100 as be obtained by planting hedgerow trees. well as 2050, because the structure of net zero will potentially change over this Stewardship-type grant for the above, de- time. pending on level of ambition CountrySide 184

Pro Planet Apples from Lake Constance and AI technology Apisfero winning projects of the 2019 European Bee Award

On the 10th of December, 2019, in a ceremony hosted by MEP Franc BOGOVIČ at the European Parliament in Brussels, the 6th edition of the European Bee Award once again acknowledged the great commitment of private and public organizations, as well as the 8 involvement of the research community, to enhance pollinators’ wellbeing and support bee-friendly farming practices in Europe. Athena LEFEBVRE, ELO & Beatriz ARRIBAS, CEMA

With the aim of acknowledging innova- to enhance the food and habitat situa- cline. Apisfero wanted to create a tech- tive, efficient and scalable projects that tion for pollinating insects in and around nology which could counter the threat of protect pollinators in Europe, the Euro- lake Constance’s orchards whilst develop- these deadly mites. Whilst exterminat- pean Bee Award, established by the Eu- ing, testing and implementing measures ing the Varroa is a relatively simple pro- ropean Landowners’ Organization (ELO) to improve the volume nectar and pollen cedure, detecting their presence is where and the European Agricultural Machinery plants. The PRO PLANET label was in- the challenge lies, especially with a high Industry Association (CEMA), was hand- troduced in 2010, its used to characterise number of hives. Through the progress ed over last night to this year’s winners: products which have considerably less im- of the researchers at Apisfero, they have Category 1: Land Management Practices: pact on the environment in the process of managed to develop a scanner capable ‘Pro Planet apples’ from the Lake Con- manufacturing, processing or utilisation. of scanning the mites on the paperboard stance Foundation Since then, the project has seen posi- inside the hive within 30 seconds. Their Category 2: Application of innovative tive results with the concept being trans- prototype, reviewed by the University technological solutions ferred to other apple producing regions in of Turin and the Austrian Federation of Germany and Austria. Beekeepers “Biene Österreich”, operates Patrick TRÖTSCHLER presented the pro- with a precision superior to the human ject ‘Pro Planet apples’ from the Lake Davide BASSIGNANA presented the Bee eye. The data is then easily accessible, Constance Foundation. They set out to Varroa scanner. The Varroa parasite is the connecting directly with a phone applica- motivate as many farmers as possible greatest driver for honeybee health de- tion. CountrySide 184

Michael GARRATT, the Chair of the Jury gave a special mention to ‘Green- roofed bus shelters in Utrecht’ for its innovative and original way to provide shel- ter and feed for pollinators in urban areas where their natural habitats are scarce. “It combined habitat creation for pollinators with other environmental activities such as saving resources”, he continued, “You can see that there is real scalability there, and we hope it will be upscaled and implemented elsewhere”.

Franc BOGOVIČ MEP and host of the ceremony stressed “The European Bee Award is a necessary recognition to the very valuable projects which year-on-year show there is a shared commitment to protecting pollinators in European agriculture. It fills me with joy to see the number of applications to the Bee Award competition rising from year to year. This year there were 36 applications all together, which Alain SCRIBAN, special adviser for agricultural equipment industry to support shows that the European Bee Award is in- ELO said “For land managers, pollina- innovative projects which could be scaled deed gaining its importance and is also a tors are our friends in the field. Without up for protecting bees’ and pollinators’ life.” generator of new ideas, which promote so- thousands of bees, butterflies and oth- lutions that improve the state of the biodi- er insects, our crops would not grow and In 2019, the European Bee Award com- versity in EU.” flourish. Together with farmers, they are petition received 36 applications from among the hardest workers in the coun- 11 different European countries. The Noting the ceremony of the EU Bee Award tryside, and they all deserve our support.” prize ceremony gathered over 100 par- was taking place on the eve of the Euro- ticipants: bee-keepers, policy makers, pean Green Deal’s launch, former Europe- Gilles DRYANCOUR, Chairman of the land managers, academia and repre- an Commissioner for R&D and Environ- CEMA Strategic Committee and member sentatives of the agri-food sector ex- ment Janez POTOČNIK said “because it is of the Bee Award Jury, pointed out “ini- changed best practices, while getting really hard to imagine a future without the tiatives such as the European Bee Award inspired by new ideas on how to protect bees, let’s respect and treat them in a re- are showcasing bees and pollinators are an bees and enhance biodiversity in Europe. sponsible way, the way they deserve due to essential part to enhance more sustainable all the good things they are providing to us farming practices in Europe. Indeed, there humans and the rest of Nature.” is a strong willingness from the European 9 CountrySide 184 DEUTZ-FAHR. ELO General Assembly in Croatia - TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN “A strong Europe in a world of challenges” PRODUCTIVITY.

Croatia's first-ever presidency in the European Union will come at a challenging period for all the Member States. Less than seven years after its accession, it has to assume the rotating presidency of the Council.

Emmanuelle MIKOSZ, ELO

herefore, also for the first time, ELO members gathered for their General TAssembly (GA) in Zagreb, a bi-annual meeting that always takes place in the country that is preparing to take over this role. We were warmly welcomed by Nikola ADAMOVICH and Nikolaus DRASKOVICH representing Croatian private forest owners and land managers. They reminded us that Croatia has 1.3 million hectares of agricultural land and about 2.2 million hectares of forest. Also, rural territory represents around 92% of the country and about half of Croatia’s population lives in rural areas. They highlighted that around 26% of the forest is in private forest ownership, the rest being publicly owned woodlands. They pointed out that most of the private- ly owned woodlands are of minimal sizes. The presumed average size of around 1 ha per owner is probably too low, but even if it

were around 5 ha, this is not sufficient for © Jurgen Tack professional woodland management by the Plitvice Lakes National Park (UNESCO site) average individual owner. It was (and is) only via restitution that a very limited number of larger woodland estates re-emerged that with an average farm being 10 hect- the best tool for land managers across the in the past 10 years. ares, restructuring policy are of high impor- EU – and important point to keep in mind tance, including family inheritance laws. She when shaping the National Strategic Plans. In addition, data concerning land owner- stressed how important is the involvement All agreed that rural areas need a necessary ship needs to be specified as Croatian agri- of the civil society representatives in future infrastructure and technology, being aware culture struggle with land book and cadas- works to achieve the needed changes. that the financing will depend on the agree- 10 tral issues. This topic was largely presented ment reached on the next Multiannual Fi- by Tajana RADIC, representing the Croatian These were also the topics we had the op- nancial Framework, 2021-2027. A special Chamber of Agriculture. She underlined portunity to discuss during the GA with the point concerned the necessity to recognize representatives of the Croatian govern- Sustainable Forest Management with the ment: Tugomir MAJDAK, State Secretary, key role of forests contribution to climate Ministry of Agriculture; Igor KREITMEYER, change mitigation. Assistant Minister and Ivana JELENIĆ, Head of Biodiversity and strategic affairs, Nature This intense day was closed by a walking Protection Directorate, Ministry of Environ- tour to discover the charms of the Zagreb ment and Energy. Presenting their Presi- Old Town, and continue the discussions dency’s motto “A strong Europe in a world while appreciating local food and huge va- of challenges”, they explained how they rieties of Croatian wines. plan to address these four key priorities: The next General Assembly “an influential Europe”, “a Europe that pro- will take place in Berlin (Germany) Leading tractors and combine harvesters. AGRILAND tects”, “a Europe that connects”, especial- from 15 to 17 June 2020. ly concerning the economic development Innovative technology, attractive design, comfort and efﬁ ciency - DEUTZFAHR offers a complete range of tractors from 35 HP to 340 HP and combine within the EU, climate and demographic harvesters from 250 HP to 395 HP. All high-horsepower tractors and all combines can be equipped with the most modern digital high precision challenges. There followed a very engaging farming systems. Easy operation, automatic functions and smart cloud based applications are helping to save money by not wasting chemicals discussion on agricultural and environmen- and fertilizers and increasing the operating comfort for the driver. The combination of an excellent product range, coupled with advanced precision Vous êtes propriétaire de terres agricoles et vous cherchez une formule efficace et rentable tal priorities for the near future, among oth- The ELO would like to thank you the pour la gestion de votre bien: l’équipe d’Agriland se met à votre disposition. farming systems, enables DEUTZFAHR to provide a tailor-made technology solution to allow maximum productivity in the ﬁ eld and on the road. L’objectif d’Agriland est d’assurer une optimalisation financière en toute ers the need to unlock the potential of land- Croatian Union of Private Forest Own- transparence et de renforcer le lien que vous avez avec votre terre. Nous vous informons sur les évolutions en matière d’agriculture, rencontrons les institutions ers Associations and the Croatian All in all DEUTZFAHR is the perfect partner for any farming business. publiques, encourageons l’emploi local et soutenons le verdissement par une based sectors for an EU Green Deal and to gestion respectueuse de l’environnement. consider the specificities and needs of rural Chamber of Agriculture for their sup- Plus d’infos sur www.agriland.be To discover more please contact a DEUTZFAHR dealer or visit deutz-fahr.com. businesses in Europe. All agreed the CAP port in putting this event together. SA Agriland // Avenue Pasteur 23 - 1300 Wavre // tel. +32 10/232 906 // fax +32 10/232 909 // e-mail: [email protected] regulates Europe’s agriculture and remains

DEUTZFAHR is a brand of

SDFI-0158_Anz_Institutional_Countryside_RZ.indd 1 01.04.19 16:11 DEUTZ-FAHR. CountrySide 183 TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN PRODUCTIVITY.

Leading tractors and combine harvesters.

Innovative technology, attractive design, comfort and efﬁ ciency - DEUTZFAHR offers a complete range of tractors from 35 HP to 340 HP and combine harvesters from 250 HP to 395 HP. All high-horsepower tractors and all combines can be equipped with the most modern digital high precision farming systems. Easy operation, automatic functions and smart cloud based applications are helping to save money by not wasting chemicals and fertilizers and increasing the operating comfort for the driver. The combination of an excellent product range, coupled with advanced precision farming systems, enables DEUTZFAHR to provide a tailor-made technology solution to allow maximum productivity in the ﬁ eld and on the road. All in all DEUTZFAHR is the perfect partner for any farming business. To discover more please contact a DEUTZFAHR dealer or visit deutz-fahr.com.

DEUTZFAHR is a brand of

SDFI-0158_Anz_Institutional_Countryside_RZ.indd 1 01.04.19 16:11 CountrySide 184

Owners and livestock breeders: Guardians of biodiversity

Jose GOMEZ-ACEBO, ELO Famigro Award call for applications is open On November 5, a round table organized by ELO and the UCTL (La Unión st de Criadores del Toro de Lidia) took place in the European Parliament until 1 March 2020 where farmers and private owners from Spain, Portugal and France discussed their role as protectors of biodiversity. Alberto HERMOSEL, YFCS

The event was hosted by MEP Juan Ignacio ZOIDO, and began with an Created by Karl GROTENFELT in 2013, the Famigro Award extraordinary welcome and went on to outline the problems faced by aims to reward the best European rural entrepreneurship the owners and ranchers every day. The event was attended by Daniel project of the year. CALLEJA CRESPO (Director-General DG Environment), Álvaro AMARO (member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of The Famigro Award rewards each year an innovative the European Parliament), Carlos NÚÑEZ (President of the Lidia Bull entrepreneurial project. Thanks to the initiative of Mr Breeders Union), Jeremy DECERLE (Renew Europe MEP and President of GROTENFELT, each year the YFCS can support a start-up the young farmers of France), and Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (former MEP) project that answers to the current challenges of the rural among others. sector.

This framework served to present different points of view on how Entrepreneurial projects contribute to the evolution private and livestock owners contribute to rural development. One of the of our rural countryside, while the respect of the priorities of the agenda of the President of the European Commission, environment and social responsibility is endorsed by each Ursula VON DER LEYEN, in the “European Green Deal” that establishes rural entrepreneur. The aim of the Famigro Award is to two defined lines: the challenges against climate change and the increase the chances of this kind of valuable projects to challenges for the loss of biodiversity. Both challenges are perfectly succeed and grow, letting them benefit from the support aligned in the defence of livestock rearing by their socio-environmental of the network of the Friends and Young Friends of the Countryside. contribution. It was however also concluded that making farms viable is extremely relevant and that a strong and supportive CAP with farmers For more information please contact: and agricultural managers must be guaranteed. [email protected] .

12 “2020 CIC Hunting in Art” Prize Hunters and Biodiversity: sketching biodiversity through cartoons

The “CIC Hunting in Art” prize was established with the aim to reward an artist, museum or cultural organisation, which promotes the values of hunting. The “2020 CIC Hunting in Art prize” will aim to showcase the contribution of hunters to biodiversity through the lens of comics. We want to show the world how much hunters do for nature and biodiversity.

Help us to promote our values and to support wildlife conservation through your art! This implies drawings / illustrations only. Please do not use text in any comic strip / cartoon.

The pre-selected cartoons will be Please send your art piece to [email protected] exhibited at the 67th CIC General (A4 size, min. 150dpi resolution) Assembly (13-17 May 2020) and the 1st prize: 700 EUR Deadline for submissions: 29 February 2020 winners will be announced at the closing 2nd prize: 500 EUR For more information please contact the CIC ceremony of our assembly. 3rd prize: 300 EUR Headquarters. CountrySide 182 CountrySide 184

SYSTEMIC: towards a circular economy

Veneta PANEVA, RISE Foundation

The SYSTEMIC project – funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme – is running between 2017 and 2021. It aims to demonstrate new approaches to nutrient recovery from bio-waste, such as animal manure, sewage sludge and food waste. The RISE Foundation is part of a consortium of 15 partners from academia, industry, and other organisations who have joined efforts to test new circular solutions for the valorisation of bio- waste as a means of sustaining future food production while decreasing environmental impacts. © Acqua & Sole What is the value of SYSTEMIC? One of the SYSTEMIC partner biogas plants, Acqua & Sole, Italy.

To achieve its objective, the project has ber of valuable resources related to its New technology for phosphorus recovery enhanced several large-scale biogas key objectives. All of these are accessible plants throughout Europe with novel nu- The RePeat technology for phospho- from the ‘Downloads’ section of the SYS- trient-recovery technologies. Each of the rus recovery from digestate was recently TEMIC website: https://systemicproject. plants processes a different kind of bio- built at one of the project bio-gas plants eu/downloads/ waste – animal manure, sewage sludge or on the basis of the results of a study con- food waste – which results in a specific, Business case evaluation report ducted by three of the project partners. nutrient-rich product. Information on the technology and the The report addresses the current EU pol- study itself are available on the website. These products will then be extensive- icy, legal and economic frameworks, and ly tested in field trials to determine their analyses six individual bio-gas plants in Product factsheets environmental impact and agronomic ef- terms of their respective policy, agricul- The factsheets explore some of the main ficiency. Additionally, the composition tural and food industry environments. products of nutrient recovery, including and quality of the recovered products will their main characteristics, agronomic and Bio-gas plant factsheets be refined to meet the requirements of environmental aspects, as well as their 13 regional markets, as well as to add eco- The factsheets explore in detail the bio- standpoint in the EU. nomic value for the plant itself. This mar- gas plants that the project collaborates Article on bio-based fertilisers from ag- ket-driven approach is needed to devel- closely with and has enhanced with dif- op a viable and sustainable industry. ricultural waste ferent nutrient-recovery technologies. The wider uptake of the approaches and The factsheets include updated monitor- The study explores production and per- transition towards a circular economy will ing data, status of construction, summa- formance of bio-based mineral fertilisers be stimulated through: ries on performance, as well as elements from agricultural waste using ammonia specific to each plant. (stripping-)scrubbing technology. • creation of business opportunities for ten additional plants; • dissemination of economic and envi- Keep up-to-date and follow SYSTEMIC online ronmental benefits; and

• policy recommendations. Visit the project website at www.systemicproject.eu

Subscribe to the project newsletter at bit.ly/SYSTEMICnews Progress to date Follow us on Twitter at @systemic_eu The project has been working on address- ing policy barriers to the greater uptake Watch our YouTube playlist at bit.ly/SYSTEMICvideo and re-use of recovered nutrients for agriculture, most notably targeting EU’s Fer- tiliser Regulation and Nitrates Directive. SYSTEMIC receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework The project has already produced a num- Programme for Research and Innovation under Grant Agreement no. 730400. CountrySide 184

Smart information, governance and business innovations for sustainable supply and payment mechanisms for forest ecosystem services

Lindsey CHUBB, ELO

On 29 October-1 November 2019, the Ho- rizon 2020 project, InnoForESt held its 3rd Consortium Assembly in Schlierbach, Aus- tria hosted by project partner, STUDIA. The goal of InnoForESt is to spark a trans- formation in the European forest sector by steering policies and businesses towards the provision of a wide range of forest ecosystem services. InnoForESt has established six real world pilots that represent a range of successful coordination approaches and business models. These case studies, or In- novation Regions (IR) have been developed as examples that offer different kinds of forest ecosystem services with the help of different policy and business approaches. The consortium will scale up the results to The final meeting and conference will be The consortium visited the local Austria the European level by making use of Eu- held in Brussels, Belgium in November 2020. innovation which focuses on value chains rope’s social-ecological landscape as well for wood and timber and tourism and rec- as the sustainability impacts of different @InnoForESt reation through the Waldness® project. At governance mechanisms. The lessons will @InnoForEStProject a regional level, the innovation is expected feed into a roadmap for the provision of for- to lead to a more sustainable forest man- est ecosystem service bundles and a broad InnoForESt agement and an increased collaboration of range of dissemination and communication stakeholders from forestry, public admin- activities. Ultimately, this will lead to bet- The research leading to these results has received funding from the Europe- istration, regional planning, tourism, and ter policy coordination, improved well-being an Union Horizon 2020 under the Grant traditional craftsmanship in order to create of EU citizens and the ecological integrity of Agreement number 763899, InnoForESt value and support local jobs. forest ecosystems. project, within the Innovation Action.

BIOPLAT-EU: to promote the market uptake of 14 sustainable bioenergy in Europe

Lindsey CHUBB, ELO

On 26 September 2019, the Scientific En- tions about MUC lands in an area of their vant information are encouraged to con- gineering Centre “Biomass” (SECB) host- interest to determine whether the land is tact the ELO Projects Team at ed the BIOPLAT-EU project consortium suitable and/or feasible for a specific type [email protected]. in Kiev, Ukraine, where ELO joined for the of biomass production. STEN is based on second progress meeting of the project. existing recognized and tested method- BioplatEu The overall objective of the project is to ologies for the assessment of 9 environ- promote the market uptake of sustain- mental indicators (GHG emissions, Air Bioplat-Eu able bioenergy in Europe using marginal, Pollutants Emissions, Soil Quality, Water Project BIOPLAT-EU underutilized and contaminated lands for Quality, Water Use and Efficiency, Biodi- BIOPLAT-EU non-food biomass production through the versity, and LUC). The database of maps of provision of a web-based platform. MUC lands in Europe and STEN tool will be bioplat.eu shared on a web-based platform as a core The consortium is in the process of collect- source of information and utility related to ing GIS land data on Marginal, Underuti- this topic for stakeholders. lized and Contaminated (MUC) lands in This project has received funding from European and neighboring countries and The next meeting will be held March 2020 the European Union’s H2020-LCE developing the online public user-friendly in Bucharest, Romania. ELO will contin- research and innovation programme STEN tool. The STEN tool (STEN: Sustain- ue to collect existing MUC land data from under grant agreement No 818083. This article reflects only the author’s view and that the European ability Tool for Europe and Neighbouring each Member State until the database is Commission is not responsible for any use that may countries) will provide the user specifica- complete. Interested persons with rele- be made of the information it contains.

http://care-t-farms.eu CARE_T_FARMS CareTFarms CountrySide 184

REWARD - 3rd Transnational Meeting

Juliette OLIVIER, ELO

shop on site. Alongside their agricultural activities, the farm maintains the cultural heritage of the site by preserving the 200 years old house and promoting traditional crafts through its unique outdoor stone mill museum. For 300 years, stones present on this farm where used to create millstones that were sold all over Slovenia and Croatia. Today, some of them are still used to ground cereals in Croatia. The next step of the project is the development of the case studies chosen and create short interviews for the training material. The next meeting will be on the 9th -10th March in Krakow, Poland.

On the 3rd of October 2019, the partners of the Andreja JAGODIC who inherited it from her Follow REWARD on Social Media: project REWARD met in Naklo, Slovenia to parents. On this self-sufficient farm, she hold their 3rd trans-national meeting hosted works with her husband, her sister and http://reward-erasmus.eu/ by the Biotehniski center Naklo. Each partner one other employee. The main activity @REWARD_ERASMUS presented a selection of 5 case studies of of the 52ha farm is milk production from women entrepreneurs in European rural which they produce various types of dairy @REWARDPROJECT areas who also develop activities fostering products. They also grow crops used to feed rural development linked to cultural heritage. the animals such as pigs and chickens. All The following day included a visit to the their products, ranging from cheeses, milk, family farm Policarjeva Kmetija owned by eggs, meat to potatoes, are sold in the farm Project No: 2018-1-FRO1-KA202-047809

th FARMID 4 meeting D I S CO V E R A W H O L E P A L E T T E O F Branwen MILES, ELO L E I S U R E A CT I V I T I E S A T T H E S E E U R O P E A N CO U N T R Y S I D E E S T A T E S The 4th meeting for the FARMID project took place in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Granada, Spain. Within the picturesque landscape, the meeting was an opportunity for partners to discuss and view the training modules that had been prepared. The following day, partners visited el Parque del Seminario which is partly managed by the Centro Especial de Empleo Muncipal Jardines y Naturaleza’. An 15 employment centre that employs people with mild intellectual disability with the aim of securing paid work and the provision of personal and social inclusion services. The centre was established in 1994, and currently employs around 100 people and manages 80% of public gardens in the Jaen municipality. Whilst the centre employs people with a range of different disabilities across their organisation, from gardens to administration staff, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of training provided to this group. Therefore, the centre provides internships, vocational training and work experience in various forms in order to facilitate a transition to employment. The main goal of the training and work experience provided by the employment centre is to enable them to find work in the private sector. In line with the FARMID project objectives, it is hoped that the barriers and prejudices surrounding people with mild intellectual disabilities will be broken to show W W W . W E L C OM I NGE ST A T E SW E B SI T E . C OM that they are hard workers and can be fully active members of the workforce. The next project meeting will coincide with the final conference held in Brussels, more details to follow. Happy New Year FARMID @FARMID_ERASMUS CountrySide 184

Diary dates Let’s increase our food supply 20 January 2020, Salzburg without Regional meeting of the Large Carnivores platform www.elo.org reducing theirs

22 January, Paris Paris International Agricultural Show www.salon-agriculture.com Syngenta Brussels Office Avenue Louise, 489, 29 January, European Parliament, B-1050 Brussels Brussels Tel: +32.2.642 27 27 Climate Positive Farming - What solutions www.syngenta.com to make the EU agriculture climate posi- www.goodgrowthplan.com tive?; yearly ELO Innovation conference hosted by Martin HLAVÁČEK MEP, co-organized with Corteva Agroscience www.elo.org

4 - 5 February, Brussels international Conference on Forest for 21 February, Committee of the Regions, 17 March, European Parliament, Biodiversity and Climate Change – organ- Brussels Brussels ized by DG Environment Halting the loss of pollinators: the role of European Tree of the Year Award Cer- https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/inter- the EU agricultural and regional develop- emony national-conference-forests-biodiversi- ment policies www.treeoftheyear.org ty-and-climate-change-2020-feb-04_en https://www.eventbrite.com/e/halting- the-loss-of-pollinators-the-role-of-the- 8 - 12 June; Brussels eu-agricultural-and-region-registra- 15th International Heritage Rose Conference tion-84616061919 www.rosabelgica2020.com

Pantone 390 CMYK 24 / 0 / 98 / 8

Pantone 364 Countryside Publisher : CommunicationCMYK 73 /& 9 / 94proof / 39 readers: Rue de Trèves, 67 Thierry de l’Escaille Jehanne de Dorlodot - Verhaegen B - 1040 Bruxelles is a publication of the ELO Chief editor : Gabrielle Cubillo Tel. : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 00 in English and French Emmanuelle Mikosz Fax : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 09 Text editor : Back office: [email protected] 5 Euros Sophy Smits van Oyen-Maltzoff Gabriela Pena, Alberto Hermosel Internet Site : www.elo.org