In crude protein equivalent
5.3.3 Judgement criterion 1: The implementation of VCS, Diversification and EFAs resulted (or not) in changes in the cultivation area of pulses, oil seeds and
legumes for forage, compared to the previous period
In 2015, 16 Member States285 have decided to grant voluntary coupled support (VCS) to several protein forage legumes, soya bean or pulses (see Table 4). The effects of VCS on forage legumes, soya
283 Importers can import for different purposes: sales, processing, consumption, etc.
284 In particular the use of phytosanitary products on EFAs in legumes has been forbidden which could limit their cultivation, some farmers preferring not to take the risk of a decrease in yield.
285 FR, SP, IT, PL, HU, RO, CZ, BG, HR, LV, SI, EL, FI, IE, LU, LT.
bean or pulses area in EU have been analysed in the framework of the evaluation of the greening measures (as a significant external factor). The evaluation highlighted that the VCS have probably been a driver of the increase of field pea, soya bean and lupine area in the EU in 2015-2016. As for broad and field beans, it seems rather unlikely that the measure had significant impacts at EU level since similar trends can be observed in Member States with and without coupled support available.
With regard to oilseeds (other than soya bean), according to the Member States notification in 2014286, only Latvia and Spain287 have made use of this option and implemented a coupled support (for rapeseed only in Latvia). Given the limited level of the support (37.71€/ha in Spain in 2015) and the number of Member States concerned (only two), it seems unlikely that the measure had significant impacts on oilseeds or oilseed meal supply at EU level. Furthermore, a significant share of soya bean produced within the EU is used for food and therefore it is unlikely that soya bean production changes in the EU have significantly impacted soymeal production or import in the EU.
With regard to the greening EFA measure, as a result of exemptions and non-declared area (i.e. land that does not benefit from any CAP payment), in 2016, the 5% ecological focus area obligation was applied to around 68% of EU arable land (Alliance Environnement, 2017). In 2015, all Member States except Denmark allowed nitrogen-fixing crops (which includes protein-rich crops such as forage legumes, pulses and soya bean) as an EFA. The detail of which protein-rich crops have been allowed as EFA is provided in the Table 4.
Each EFA element is subject to different weighting288, which is used to adjust the measured area of the feature and so the extent to which it contributes to achieving the 5% ratio. These weights are broadly intended to reflect the relative environmental value of different types of ecological focus area. During the first years of implementation of the EFA measure (i.e. from 2015 to 2017), the weighting factor applied to nitrogen-fixing crops was 0.7, meaning that 1m² of nitrogen fixing crops counted as 0.7m² of EFA. In 2018, this weighting factor was reviewed289 and was set at 1290. This is linked to the implementation of the pesticide ban on these areas and the improved environmental benefit which can be expected.
In 2015 and 2016, at EU level the main EFA element declared by farmers was nitrogen-fixing crops (respectively 37.5% and 39.1% of the area declared as EFA). The main conclusions of the evaluation of greening measures with regard to the likely effects of the EFA measure on the nitrogen-fixing crops area in the EU are summarised in Table 39. Broadly, the evaluation showed that the EFA measure may have fostered an increase of the cultivation of the three main dry pulses (i.e. broad and field beans, field peas and sweet lupines). However, other factors have been at play (e.g. the VCS for field peas, the growing demand for EU pulses in the food sector, etc. see section 5.3.5). As for soya beans, the analysis showed that the evolution of soya bean acreage is mainly driven by market development, even though the implementation of a VCS and the EFA measure may also have participated in the increase of the area. Regarding forage legumes, the measure may have participated in the stabilisation of the area at EU level, but no proof confirms this. However, the analysis was limited by the data available (no data was available at crop level) and its consistency (the Eurostat database shows some inconsistencies or missing data for BE, CY, EE, IE, IT, PT and UK). Similarly, for fresh pulses, the data analysis done in the valuation of the greening measures did not enable identification of any proof of an effect of the EFA measure on these productions (Alliance Environnement, 2017).
Overall, for all the crops studied, the evaluation showed that even though the EFA may have had some effects on the area of some protein-rich crops, other factors have also played a role, given that dry pulses and soya bean areas had already started to increase before greening was introduced (e.g.
between 2013 and 2014, see Table 41). These other factors are presented in section 5.3.5.
286 Notification of decisions taken by Member States by 1 August 2014:
287 Royal Legislative Decree / Real Decreto 1075/2014
288 They are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 639/2014.
289 According to Regulation (EU) 2017/2393 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2017
290 Meaning that 1m² of nitrogen fixing crop can now count as 1m² of EFA
Table 41: Main results of EFA measure’s impacts on N-fixing crops acreage Nitrogen-fixing
crop Trend in 2014-2015 compared with the 2012-
2014 trend
Likeliness of EFA measure’s impact (0/+/++/+++:
none/low/medium/high) Forage legume No significant change except
in SI, BE, CY, PL and FR +
Soya bean Sharper increase +
Broad and field
bean Sharper increase (UK, DK, LT,
LV, EE, DK) ++
Field pea Sharper increase (FR, ES, DE,
LT, UK) ++
Sweet lupines Sharper increase (PL mainly) ++
Fresh bean No significant change except
BE 0
Fresh pea No significant change 0
Source: (Alliance Environnement, 2017)
For 2018 onward291, the use of plant protection products is prohibited on all areas of EFA Nitrogen- fixing crops from establishment until after harvest of the nitrogen-fixing crop. The effect of this change has still not been analysed, but according to case studies it will probably deter some farmers from growing protein-rich crops to comply with the EFA measure. However, the evaluation of the greening measures showed that it is overall unlikely that the EFA measure is the main driver for farmers to grow these crops and therefore this change in the measure may not impact the cultivated area (but only the area declared as EFA).
The change in weighting factor292 for nitrogen-fixing crops from 0.7 to 1 may have counterbalanced the deterrent effect of the implementation of the pesticide ban.
Under the greening crop diversification measures, most EU farmers293 are required to grow at least two or three crops according to their farm size. The crops and plants under study are rarely grown as the main crop in specialised farms and therefore can be an option for the farms to diversify their cropping patterns. It can be noted that a given area of nitrogen-fixing crop declared as EFA also counts as a crop for the crop diversification measure. In other words, growing nitrogen-fixing crops can be an option for farmers (e.g. in mono-cropping farms) to comply with both measures. Furthermore, since 2018, the crop diversification requirement does not apply to farms where more than 75% of arable land is used for the production of legume crops294.
The effects of the crop diversification measure on farmers’ cropping patterns have been studied in the framework of the valuation of the Greening measures. More specifically, the changes in cropping patterns between 2014 and 2015 made by farmers who did not meet the crop diversification measure requirements in 2014 have been analysed for ten Member States295. In order to understand the extent to which these changes may have been the result of the crop diversification measure, they have been compared to the changes in cropping areas made in 2015 by farmers who were already sufficiently diversified. These analyses showed out that the crop diversification measure led to changes on less than 1% of the total arable land of the ten Member States studied.
On this area which has been diversified, among the five main crops (or crop types) introduced, four are protein-rich crops (or crop type): legume plants, pulses (i.e. peas, field beans and sweet lupines), rapeseed (rape and turnip rape) and sunflower296. However, these protein-rich crops can be grown to meet the requirements of both the crop diversification and the EFA measure.
291 According to Regulation (EU) 2017/1155 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 February 2017
292 Each EFA element is subject to different weighting, which is used to adjust the measured area of the feature and so the extent to which it contributes to achieving the 5% ratio. These weightings are broadly intended to reflect the relative
environmental value of different types of ecological focus area. Member States are required to apply the weighting factors that are less than 1, but can choose whether or not to apply those greater than 1. They are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 639/2014. During the first years of implementation of the EFA measure (i.e. from 2015 to 2017) the weighting factor applied to nitrogen fixing crops was 0.7, meaning that 1m² of nitrogen fixing crops counted as 0.7m² of EFA.
293 In 2016, 75% of arable land in the EU (excluding France, for whom data is unavailable) was subject to the crop diversification measure, with 63% subject to the three-crop rule and 12% subject to the two-crop rule.
294 According to Regulation (EU) 2017/2393 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2017
295 AT, DE, CZ, ES, FR, LT, NL, PL, RO and UK.
296 The fifth one being fallow
Overall, the effects of each measure under study (taken individually) on the cultivation of protein-rich crops are difficult to identify and have probably been limited at EU level. However, all these measures taken together have participated in the favourable context which has allowed the increase of the cultivation of protein-rich crops in EU since 2014. This context is also linked to other factors which are identified and whose effects are analysed in the framework of the third judgement criteria (see 5.3.5).
5.3.4 Judgement criterion 2: The implementation of VCS, Diversification and EFAs