march 2005 editorial biomass, is it the future? - elo.org · elo - european landowners’...

Attempts to mitigate climate change throughstabilising greenhouse gas emissions, particularlyCO2, have raised the status of renewable energy

sources in general and biomass in particular.The European Union (EU) is a world leader in the field of renewable resources. It has agreed to increase thecontribution of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) toprimary energy production to 12% by the year 2010 andhas issued two European Directives on the "promotionof electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market" (2001) and the"promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewablefuels for transport" (2003) to foster the production ofrenewable energies.At the last Energy Council, the 25 ministers accepted theCommission's proposal to adopt a Biomass Action Plan.The Commission feels that the European RegionalDevelopment Funds (ERDF), the Cohesion Funds, the7th Research Framework Programme and the futureprogramme "Intelligent Energy for Europe" have animportant role to play in the development and promotion of renewable energy sources.

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E L O - E u r o p e a n L a n d o w n e r s ’ O r g a n i z a t i o n

March 2005

M O N T H LY

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Like the oil shocks of the seventies,current oil prices have reawakened theinterest of politicians and scientists in

renewable energy sources. At the sametime the reform of the Common

Agricultural Policy (CAP), inparticular the sugar reform, tend

towards reducing land cultivated forfood production. Alternatives must

therefore be found to generate incomewhich complies with the Commission's

environmental objectives.

Energy from biomass is an importantpart of the response. The use of

plants and agricultural residues forenergy production is nothing new, but

spiralling oil prices and theincreasingly fragile nature of

traditional farming have led to thesearch for new solutions. ELO has

made suggestions to DG Agri and hasmade its positions known to the

European Parliament. Newtechnologies have been developed, in

particular in the North of Europe,sometimes combining pollutionreduction and the production of

energy materials. Their profitabilitycan only improve as technology

develops. In this issue Countrysideexplores some of the possibilities.

Energy production in the thirdmillennium will undoubtedly be morediversified than in the past and will nolonger be based on a single oil source,

but on the coordination of differentresources including biomass.

Landowners and rural business peoplemust be aware not only of the

economic advantages of this newmarket but also of its image-

boosting potential.

Thierry de l'ESCAILLE

Biomass, is it the future?

Editorial

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ELO_75_Engels 21-03-2005 16:27 Pagina 1

Biomass is the total mass ofliving matter within a given unit ofenvironmental area. It is recognisedas one of the most important RES.In fact, one can underline threemain reasons to promote the pene-tration of biomass in the world eco-nomy:

- Security of supply- Protection of the environment- More jobs and support for

industry

This is of particular interest asthe EU is reforming its agriculturepolicy and is opening up its marketunder WTO pressure. Biomassenergy can be used to promotealternative crops or processingwhere classical crops are no longerprofitable.

The continuous development ofbiomass technologies over the lastthree decades, often linked to theincrease in oil prices, now allowsrecycling of organic waste whichwould have otherwise been discar-ded, left to decay or composted,thus releasing methane, a gas 21times more destructive than CO2.

In principle biomass resourcesare huge, but most of it is alreadyallocated to existing markets fornon-energy uses such as food andfibre. However, there is still someland available for the developmentof biomass specifically as an energysource:

- Arable production currentlyincludes 10% set aside on whicha small quantity of industrialcrops are grown, but 50% of thisset aside area is available forsolid energy crops, 25% eachfor bio-ethanol and biodiesel.Currently about 33% of the setaside area in the EU15 is used toproduce 2.5 million tons oftransport fuel.

- The Forestry Commission hasestimated that 16 million tons ofbiomass/yr 1 are available fromexisting forest resources. This isincreasing rapidly owing to theplanting programme that hasbeen an established policy forthe last forty years.

- Biomass currently going into thewaste stream amounts to a fur-ther 6.7 million tons/yr 2. Theavailability of this feedstock isincreasing as a result of the EUwaste directive, but current poli-cy favours composting ratherthan energy recovery.

Changes in land use from eitherarable or pasture to woody and cel-lulose crops such as short rotationcoppice and miscanthus can beachieved with the right incentives.Willow grown in a Short RotationCoppice (SRC) is a major feedstockin biomass energy use in Sweden.This delivers significantly enhancedbiodiversity compared to conven-tional arable or improved grasslandcropping.

Miscanthus is less well developedbut offers large volumes of materialeach year, with similar biodiversitybenefits to SRC. Some countries, forinstance the UK, can yield 12t drymatter per hectare per annum, with avery low N requirement.

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C O N T E N T S

Biomass, is it the future? 1

Danish Experience with Biogas from Animal Manure 5

Willows - green energyfrom the North 7

ELO - developpingrelations with theEuropean Parliament 9

In brief 10

Meeting with theChairman of the EPP- ED (EuropeanParliament) 11

Farming in Ireland 12

Diary Dates 12

CountrySideis a publication of ELO inEnglish, French, German,

Italian and Spanish.

Publisher :Thierry de l’ESCAILLE

Chief editor :Ronan GIRARD

Rue de Trèves, 67B - 1040 Bruxelles

Tel. : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 00Fax : 00 32 (0)2 234 30 09

[email protected]

Internet Site :www.elo.org

5 Euros

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1 Availability of bio-energy in Europe in 2000 (Bio-Energy's role in the EU Energy Market - April 2004).

2 Availability of bio-energy in Europe in 2000 (Bio-Energy's role in the EU Energy Market - April 2004).


ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Greenhouse Gas EmissionsThe use of biomass can offer

large savings in greenhouse gasemissions, and the energy releasedmay be used in many forms, forexample:

- Simple combustion of biomassreleases heat, which can replacethe use of fossil fuels in electrici-ty generation.

- Woody biomass can be used asa direct heat source in advancedpellet generators.

- Gasification through AnaerobicDigestion of wet biomass, oradvanced conversion technolo-gies can create a natural gasfuel that is comparable to NorthSea gas.

- Etherification of oils from plantscan create transport fuels suchas bio-diesel.

- Fermentation and cracking canderive ethanol from starchy orsugary crops which can replacefossil-based petrol.

Bioremediation Sewage sludge is also a poten-

tial biomass fuel which can be useddirectly or be beneficially applied tomany biomass crops to boostgrowth rates. Research has de-monstrated that many fast growingperennial crops have the capacityto clean up sewage sludge, ena-bling the bio-remediated excessfluids to be returned as clean waterto the environment. Nitrogen andother plant fertilisers are extractedby the plants and used in fastergrowth, while any heavy metals arealso taken up in the crop. When thecrops are burnt, the heavy metalsare recovered in the ash, and canbe safely disposed of. Fast gro-wing biomass plants can also beused for bio-remediation of conta-minated soils in the same way overa period of years.

Improved water quality In agriculture, growing biomass

crops, whether in conventional

forestry, in short rotation coppice orin miscanthus can reduce or obvia-te the risk of diffuse pollution pro-blems. Low agri-chemical usewhen growing biomass means thatnitrogen, phosphates and pestici-des are much reduced. This canpreserve or enhance local waterquality.

Sensitive planting of biomasscrops, given that they are for themost part perennial, stabilises soil.This can prevent erosion or run-offof soil nutrients, and maintains soilquality whilst again improving waterquality.

Improved soil qualityDeep rooted biomass crops

which require little damaging me-chanical field work (save at harvest)can improve soil structure. More-over, new studies have shown thatcarbon fixed in the root systems ofperennial biomass crops (whichremain in the ground at harvest)adds significantly to the CO2savings made by the crop.

Habitat benefitsPerennial biomass crops add-

ress one of the key concerns arisingfrom modern farming: that of theavailability of winter habitats. Parti-cularly in arable areas, most farm-land is ploughed or cultivated in the

autumn, leaving little for farmlandbirds in winter. In contrast, peren-nial biomass crops lie relativelyundisturbed until harvest, which inthe case of short rotation coppice isevery third year. The crop alsodemands areas be left uncultivatedto allow easy access. These fur-rows provide valuable woodlandedge habitats, ideal for insects andsmall birds. Moreover, the introduc-tion of perennial biomass cropsadds diversity to the range of habi-tats available.

Integrated Crop Management(ICM) combats pests and disease (itis not practical to spray perennialsafter the first year's growth). ICMtechniques - multiple sources ofplanting stock, wide furrows, mixedplanting to reduce risks - alsoincrease biodiversity.

Methane saving Bioenergy created from waste

can have broad environmental be-nefits. Rotting biomass gives offmethane. Anaerobic digestion ofslurry extracts the methane, whichis then burnt (to make carbon dioxi-de and water) to release the energy.The digestive process also kills anyweed seeds, bacteria or virusespresent in the slurry, producing afine soil conditioner with a good fer-tilising effect.

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Significant quantities of foodwaste and garden clippings are cur-rently sent by local authorities tolandfill, where they rot and give offmethane. This can be avoided if thebiomass fraction of municipalwaste is extracted and used forenergy.

The use of biomass for energywhere it would otherwise be left todecompose would reduce the needto produce methane.

IMPACT ON THE LANDSCAPE

Biomass electricityNew properly planned and loca-

ted biomass power stations haveminimised negative impacts. It iscertainly the case that biomasselectricity generation may be saidto have significantly less disadvan-tages than wind turbines; but thereare more than in well designedhydro-electric stations. However,biomass power has the ability to belocated wherever there are reaso-nable supplies of biomass, i.e. notlimited to potentially sensitive loca-tions.

Biomass heatThere are almost no 'externali-

ties' associated with the use of bio-mass for heat generation. Moderngenerators are 80% or more fuelefficient, create very little ash andproduce negligible emissions. Theyhave little or no landscape impactas they will generally replace exis-ting fossil generators.

RURAL INCOME ANDEMPLOYMENT

The growing of biomass provi-des an income other than food pro-duction. Trade may be less open tothe vagaries of international com-petition and exchange rate instabili-ty. A single medium-sized (10MW)bio-electricity plant will create 50full time jobs in the plant, the supplychain and in agriculture and will putslightly less than 3 million euros perannum into the local economy.

Such a plant requires an investmentof around 21 million euros to buildand an additional 21 million eurosfor the supply chain. It will supplyenough electricity for 20,000homes.

Smaller scale local biomassCombined Heat and Power (CHP)can provide winter work to enableretention of existing employees onfarms, and can add value to localsuppliers.

The development of specialist'supply-chain' businesses, inclu-ding renewable energy supply com-panies, can make use of rural skillsand existing equipment. The poten-tial is huge. Until the developmentof the internal combustion engine,some 20% of EU agricultural landproduced energy in the form of gra-zing areas and horse fodder.

Conclusions

All areas of biomass have madesignificant technical advances overthe last 5 years. Many technologiescan already be considered com-mercial while others soon will bewhen the general costs of carbonemission are properly calculated. Itis to be hoped that current politicalinterest in biomass will open newopportunities for market penetra-tion of reliable technologies. Thiswill of course also create new chal-lenges which can only be addres-sed by continuing and intensifyingtargeted R&D work.

World energy demand will conti-nue to increase and is likely to be

met by a broader range of energyresources and technologies in thefuture. Biomass will have a signifi-cant role to play but unless vigo-rous action is taken now its marketpenetration will be constrained as aresult of relatively low oil prices.

The OECD reported that bio-mass is suitable for regional andlocal applications, especially incountries with few indigenous fossilenergy sources. The increase inequipment and services producingbiomass from farming and forestrywill have considerable globalimpact on employment, includingwithin small and medium-sizedenterprises.

The ELO's view is that the EUshould provide clear indications toconsumers, producers and inves-tors about what biomass can do forour quality of life and for that offuture generations.

■ Carla GUERRA

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The idea was that a centralisedfacility, based on manure fromseveral livestock farms, should sup-ply locally based heat and power toa nearby village.

A centralised biogas plant is afacility in which manure from lives-tock farming and organic wastefrom food processing industriesand households is treated. This bio-mass is transported to the plant byvehicles owned by the plants. In theplant it is treated for 12 -25 daysunder anaerobic conditions. Thetreatment also includes a sanitationstep, in which pathogen kills areensured to satisfactory levels. Afterthe anaerobic digestion treatment,the now digested manure, someti-mes separated, is returned to stora-ge tanks near the farms or at thefields where it is end-used as a fer-tiliser. Farmers are key players inthis system as both suppliers andreceivers of the manure for fertiliserpurposes

The biogas that emerges fromthe anaerobic digestion process ispurified and converted in a combi-ned heat and power productionfacility. Power is sold to the localpower grid, and heat is sold via dis-trict heating systems. Most of the plants are organised asco-operative companies owned byfarmers or jointly by farmers andheat consumers.

The development of biogastechnology has been encouragedby the Danish government as it wasrecognised that an enlargementwith plants would help the fulfilmentof general national environmentaltargets such as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increaseorganic waste recycling and reducethe strain on environment fromlivestock manure.

In order to fulfil these ambitionsa number of regulations wereintroduced during the 1980’s and1990’s. It appeared that this frame-work of regulations formed a gene-

ral background, in which ap-propriate incentives were providedfor key players to enter the centrali-sed biogas plant scene. The drivingforces were:

- Priority given to the electricityfrom renewable sources by pur-chase obligations

- Production grant of 3.6 euro-cents per kWh renewable elec-tricity was provided

- Tax exemption for biogas andheat from biogas

- 6-9 months storage capacity formanure required

- Restricted manure application- No organic waste in landfills, tax

when incinerated.

The set of regulations motivatedall necessary key players to pro-gressive participation in biogas pro-jects. Especially farmers, who initia-ted most projects, as they saw theplants as helpful tools in complyingwith the environmental restrictionson animal manure application thatwere introduced from 1988. Theyachieved cost savings in manurestorage and transport, and fertiliserpurchase.

Furthermore, the technology de-velopment was supported by thelaunching of the Demonstrationprogramme on Centralised BiogasPlants in 1988. This programmecontained investment grants for de-monstration plants, monitoring pro-grammes and exchange of expe-rience, which was crucial to the im-provements in operation stabilityand economic results.

Danish Experience with Biogas from Animal Manure

The interest of biogas production first emerged in Denmark after the first oil crisis in 1972. Earlyattempts to establish and operate pilot or farm scale plants generally failed due to technicalproblems and poor economic results. In the early 1980’s the idea of centralised biogas plants

was developed.


Today 20 centralized plants arein operation in Denmark. More than500 farmers are involved. In 20031,3 mil tonnes of manure were trea-ted and 0,2 mil tonnes of organicwaste. The gross energy productionamounted to 1,5 Peta Joule (105).

Most plants produce satisfactoryeconomic results, and new plantsare likely to be established in nearfuture.

In addition approx. 60 singlefarm biogas plants are operating inDenmark. The economic success ofboth plant categories is highly de-pendant on the addition of organicwaste. Consequently, competitionamong plants make the procure-ment of organic waste the most

important economic challengeunder Danish conditions. The addi-tion of waste has two objectives.Firstly, biogas production is drama-tically boosted by waste applica-tion. Secondly a treatment fee isobtained when waste is received atthe plant. Under present Danishconditions biogas production ba-sed solely on liquid animal manureis not feasible.

In 2002 a study was carried outto reveal the socioeconomic feasi-bility of centralized biogas plants inDenmark. In this work externalitiesderived from the operation of theplants were, if possible, quantifiedand monetized, and taken into ac-count as well as the costs of pro-duction. The results showed that

the technology is a very cost effi-cient tool for Green House Gas re-duction, because it not only substi-tutes fossil fuels, but also addssocioeconomic value in other fields,as it contributes to the solving of anumber of environmental problemslike nitrate leaching, waste recy-cling, odour reduction, improvedfertilizer value and cost savings inagriculture and industry.

■ By Kurt HJORT-GREGERSEN

Danish Research Institute of Food Economics

Copenhagen, Denmark

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When the European agriculturalpolicy (CAP) is reformed some 15 -20 million hectares of farmland willbe taken out of use for production offood. Energy crops is a major alter-native possibility.

Beside willow we have also wor-ked with reed canary grass (primari-ly in northern Sweden), straw (sou-thern Sweden), ley crops for biogas(mixed with manure or other wasteproducts), rapeseed for biodiesel,grain for ethanol (wheat and barley)or for direct heating (oats), as energycrops from farmland. The Swedishfarmer's organisations and coopera-tives take an active part in this deve-lopment. There is one large ethanolfactory producing 50 000 cubicmeters yearly in Norrköping, and anew factory for RME (biodiesel fromrapeseed) will be built in Karlshamn.

Lately there has been a growinginterest in hemp as energy crop.

This article will however mainlybe concerned with willows, usuallycalled Salix in Sweden, with its Latinname, or "energy forest". Beginningin the 1970s, the concept of usingshort rotation coppice productionwith willows was developed byforestry Professor Gustaf SIRÉN atthe Agricultural University at Up-psala. Willows have been grown forother purposes in many countries,e.g. for the manufacturing of bas-kets. Professor SIRÉN and his co-workers collected fast-growing wildstrains of willows as well as willowsused in earlier plantations, and hedeveloped a number of breeds sui-table to the Swedish climate.

Some 15 000 hectares of Salixwas planted in Sweden, mainlyaround 1990, when generous govern-mental support was given for theplanting. Some of these fields havereached very good production levels,but many have been disappointing.The average yield on these fields isaround 4 - 5 tonnes of dry matter perhectare. During the 1990:s develop-ment of new breeds, better plantingand harvesting methods have conti-nued. Today's improved plant mate-rial has increased the productionconsiderably, and a production of 7 -11 tonnes per hectare is expected onthe newly planted fields in Sweden.After a period of low planting activitythere is now a revival and some 1 000hectares of Salix is expected to beplanted in Sweden this spring. This ismainly due to the changes in E Ufarm support policies, and partly tothe low prices on conventional crops.

The development of the shortrotation coppice concept has beentaken over by a private company,Agrobränsle AB, located in Örebro, asubsidiary of farmer-owned Lant-männen, one of Europe's largest far-ming and food industry groups.Agrobränsle is currently developinga number of export markets aroundEurope, and Salix will be planted thisspring both in Poland and the UK.We are now witnessing a break-through for Salix both in Swedenand other countries in Europe.

Salix is planted in the spring withcuttings - around 15 000 per hecta-re - and harvested every three tofour years. One tonne of dry bio-mass equals about 4,6 MWh or half

a cubic meter of oil. Harvest takesplace in the winter, and chippingtakes place directly. The chips areeither stored temporarily at the fieldside or transported right away incontainers for combustion. After theharvest new sprouts grow from thestumps. The same stumps can givegood yields up to 30 years. Thechips have a moisture content of 50percent.

Salix plantations in Sweden areprimarily located in central and sou-thern Sweden, and some 30 powerplants use Salix chips today. Theyare excellent biofuels. In larger heator power plants the Salix chips are

Willows - green energy from the North

European farmland can be used for energy production on a large scale. Not only for heatingpurposes, but also for electricity production. Experiences in Sweden could be used as a modeland inspiration for the development. Of special interest is, I believe, our work with short rotation

coppice production with willow, our combined heat and power plants, and our well developed marketfor solid biofuels.


mixed with other biofuels, such asforest residues and bark. There ishowever examples of small heatplants furnished entirely with Salix.The high water content in Salix orother wood chips is usually not aproblem, as most heat plants areequipped with condensers.

The energy balance has beenanalysed for the whole process(cultivation and planting, harves-ting, chipping, transport, fertilisers,etc). The energy input up to the boi-ler is the equivalent of 6 - 7 percentof the energy content of the fuel.

A recent development is thatSalix fields are used as biofilters.They can be irrigated with waste-water from municipal sewageplants, and the Salix plants willconsume nitrogen and other nu-trients. The drainage water from thefield is clean from nutrients and theSalix plants are used as fuel in themunicipal heat plant. This model isused in the city of Enköping west ofStockholm, and has attracted a lotof attention from other cities.

In Sweden most solid biofuelsare used for heat production, andthe hot water is distributed for dis-trict heating. More and more theheat plants also produce electricityas combined heat and powerplants (CHP:s). In countries wheredistrict heating is not as commonas in the Scandinavian countries, itis important to find other uses forexcess heat to improve the econo-my, e.g. in industries.

Salix chips can of course beused in smaller boilers. Agrobränslehas now produced willow pellets ina joint research project with Sycon,a consulting company owned byE.on. The pellets had good qualityas proven in combustion tests.Pellets are more easy to use in fur-naces and boilers in family homesthan chips.

With a production of 10 tonnesof dry biomass per hectare fromSalix 10 million hectares of salixplantation would produce 500 TWhof bioenergy. That is equivalent toSweden's total energy use, or hea-ting for 20 million modern familyhouses. Used in CHP:s it could pro-duce at least one third of thatamount as electricity and the restas heat. With future gasificationtechniques the electricity produc-tion can be increased considerably.

Salix only accounts for a frac-tion of Sweden's current bioenergyuse. Most of our bioenergy is bio-fuels from forestry and forest indus-try. Bioenergy accounts for 23 per-cent of the total energy needs inSweden. Most of the bioenergy isused for district heating, for internalenergy use in the forestry industryand for heating of family homes.Bioenergy for liquid fuels and elec-tricity are quickly expanding areas.

■ Kent NYSTRÖM,

Managing Director, Svebio Swedish Bioenergy

Association

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Coordination: François de RADIGUÈStel: +352 021 190 345

For more on Swedish bioenergy:

www.svebio.se

For more on salix:

www.agrobransle.se


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For many years ELO has hadclose relations with MEPs, in parti-cular through the Hunting, Fishingand Conservation Intergroup. Itnow wants to extend its EuropeanParliament network. In the new par-liament the increase in the numberof members and the arrival of repre-sentatives from ten new memberstates makes it more necessarythan ever to deepen relations bet-ween ELO and the Euro-MPs sothat they take into account ourinterests when voting on a text orwhen they decide on the directionto take regarding a piece of legisla-tion.

The European Parliament is theonly European Union institutionwhose members are directly elec-ted by citizens, and has major legis-lative power. It is also the bodywhich expresses democracy andpolitical control in the Union. Whatare these powers exactly and whyare they of interest to ELO and itsmembers?

Directly elected by the peoplesince June 1979, the EuropeanParliament now represents over450 million citizens. The June 2004elections appointed 732 membersfor five years. The division of theseats per member state is propor-tional to the population of eachcountry - the 'big countries' havemore seats than the 'little' ones.The composition of the EuropeanParliament will be reviewed onceagain when Romania and Bulgariajoin.

The members are not organizedaccording to national delegations

but by political affinity and accor-ding to their European convictions.In this way they form European poli-tical parties. The current presidentof the parliament is Josep BorrellFontelles, a Spaniard and a mem-ber of the European Socialist Party(ESP).

The European Parliament holdsa week-long plenary once a monthin Strasbourg. Between eachmonthly session, two weeks arespent on standing working commit-tees on specific topics and oneweek on the political group mee-tings in Brussels. The parliamentarycommittees prepare the sessionwork by adopting reports which arethen submitted for approval to allthe members. There are twentyParliament committees includingthe 'Committee on the Environ-ment, Public Health and FoodSafety," the "Agriculture Commit-tee", the "Regional DevelopmentCommittee" and the "Committeeon Industry, Research and Energy."

Apart from the standing commit-tees, the European Parliament canalso create sub-committees, tem-porary committees and committeesof inquiry.

The MEPs also set up 'Intergroups'on specific topics to defend parti-cular interests. These meetingsmay lead to positions on legislativetexts, or to approaching theCommission on a particular theme.For many years ELO participated inthe "Hunting, Fishing, Nature andTradition" Intergroup and was invol-ved in its reshaping into the"Hunting, Fishing and Conser-vation" Intergroup for the 2004-2009 parliamentary period. Amongthe different intergroups likely tointerest ELO are the Housing Inter-group, the Wine-Tradition QualityIntergroup and the SustainableDevelopment Intergroup.

Created by the treaty of Rome in1957, the European Assembly origi-nally only had limited prerogatives.It was a secondary institution at thelegislative level and initially only hadbudgetary and institutional controlpowers. Its democratic legitimacywas strengthened when direct elec-tions were introduced for the firsttime. As for its powers, successivetreaties have continued to increasethem.As well as major budgetary powersallowing it to modify certain com-pulsory expenditure, in particularCAP spending, it exercises political

ELO - developping relations with the European Parliament

Since the building of Europe began the European Parliament's powers have constantly increased,turning this institution into a major factor in European decisions. The current importance of itsrole with respect to environmental and agricultural legislation has not escaped the ELO. This is

why ELO intends to invest more in its relations with the European Parliament and its members.


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Sweden abolishes taxes on inheritance rights and

donations.The Swedish socio-democratic

government has surprisingly takenthe sudden decision to abolish taxon inheritance and donations. Thisdecision was achieved following

pressure from businessmen, inclu-ding landowners, to get the

government to lighten the heftytax burden on the income of

entrepreneurs and to scrap alto-gether tax on capital (which hadalready been reduced following areport by Baron Johan NORDEN-FALK, the president of Friends of

the Countryside).

The socio-democratic governmentfound itself in a delicate positionof course in yielding to pressure,but it was necessary to improve

the business climate. The govern-ment felt compelled to find a dis-traction by abolishing tax on inhe-

ritance rights and donations.

ELO modernises its website

Since 1 February 2005 ELO's newwebsite has been on line with new

graphics and content. Regularvisitors will find most of the usualheadings with updated texts andnew pages such as the ELO Prize

for Wetlands (see "Awards").Countryside magazine and this

site are the main media communi-cation 'tools' of the organisation.

In br iefcontrol over the European insti-tutions. The resignation of theSanter Commission in March1999 and the refusal to endorsethe appointment of commissio-ner Buttiglione in 2004 illustrateits powers of control. Duringthese events the EuropeanParliament showed itself to bean unavoidable institution withever-increasing powers.

Moreover, although theEuropean Commission has thelegislative initiative, the Counciland the Parliament share legis-lative power. The competencesof these two co-legislators arehowever not the same and varyaccording to the nature of thetext being proposed. The EP'slegislative power is exercisedunder four different procedu-res, i.e. simple consultation, thecooperation procedure, the co-decision making procedure andthe assent procedure. Themost important is co-decision,in which the European Parlia-ment and the Council equallyshare decision-making powers.The Amsterdam Treaty exten-ded this procedure to aboutforty areas including environ-ment and food safety. 95% ofEuropean laws are thereforenow jointly adopted by the twoinstitutions.

Most of the major Europeanprojects affecting the country-side come under co-decision. Itis essential for ELO to followand analyse parliamentarytexts if it is to understand whatis at stake and influence deba-tes at the earliest possiblestage.

A certain number of textsare currently being drawn up inParliament in the areas of theenvironment and agriculture. Atpresent the EP is dealing with atext on "LIFE +, multiannualprogramme 2007-2013" whichproposes simplified funding of

environmental policy and direc-tly affects the future of rural lan-downers and businesses. Atthe same time the EP's envi-ronment committee is also wor-king on assessing funding me-chanisms for Natura 2000 pro-posed by the European Com-mission. Contrary to ELO's wis-hes, the Commission is notproposing specific funding butrather the financing of environ-mental constraints from exis-ting budgets, in particular in thearea of the CAP and the struc-tural funds.

Among the other currentdossiers there is the reform ofthe sugar sector, the protectionof underground water againstpollution, the urban dimensionin the context of enlargement,the funding of the CAP and theprotection of fundamentalrights in the EU. Moreover, theEP has just adopted amend-ments to the directives onemission quota exchanges forgreenhouse gases, on GMOtraceability and labeling, andon the Forest Focus regulation.

ELO's lobbying strategywas to equip itself with themeans of strengthening its rela-tions with the European Parlia-ment. This is why we haverecruited an officer for parlia-mentary relations, a lawyer bytraining, in order to guaranteethe continuous presence of ourorganization within this institu-tion The job will involve monito-ring legislation for the benefit ofthe entire network.

■ Delphine NAUDET


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The main topics of the meetingwere agricultural, forestry and envi-ronmental policies.

Dr. Lutz GOEPEL, member ofthe parliament of Saxony, Chairmanof the European Parliament's agri-culture committee and EPP-EDspokesman for agriculture expres-sed the view that the CAP reformcan be funded until 2013.

Reform of the Common MarketOrganisation in Sugar should not bebrought forward from 30.06.2006 to30.06.2005. He said his parliamen-tary party would not accept thedrastic cuts being proposed becau-se farming would not be able tocope.

Michael Prinz zu SALM-SALM,ELO's Vice-president, Chairman ofthe German Landowners Associa-tion 1 and President of the GermanForest Owners Association 2, com-mented on the proposal of theEuropean Agricultural Fund forRural Development (EAFRD) regar-ding support for rural development.

He appreciated the summary ofthe existing subsidies in this propo-sal and the inclusion of forestry.Especially appreciated were theplanned subsidies related to theNatura 2000 requirements. How-ever, he felt the proposal should notspeak about subsidies but com-pensation and that the forestrypoints should not be restricted toreimbursement of costs. Further-more, municipal forests should beincluded in the subsidies scheme.Proposals, ideas, and suggestionsregarding EAFRD can be sent to therapporteur, Ms. Agnes SCHIERHU-BER, Austrian MEP, ([email protected]);

Regarding a potential EU fores-try policy, Prinz SALM pointed outthat the common position paper ofthe associations dated September23rd 2003 requested powers beintroduced at European level. Theso-called "Parliamentary Inter-groups" are being set up and onewill be dealing with forestry. Regarding Natura 2000, MichaelPrinz SALM mentioned the difficul-

ties so far with the implementationof the Habitat and Bird Directives.The main failure is the inadequateinvolvement of landowners.

Christa KLAAS (MEP from theRhineland-Palatinate) the EP envi-ronmental committee's rapporteurand thus in charge of the ground-water directive project, raised thequestion of whether limit values forgroundwater should be a matter forthe member states, or if harmoniza-tion at EU level is needed.

Michael Prinz SALM insisted onthe fact that any "nutrient guideli-nes" should not lead to a ban onfarming near water areas.

Closing the meeting, Prof.PÖTTERING underlined that theratification process of the EU cons-titution would be a difficult processbut would be successful in the end.He added that his party supportsthe principle of subsidiary and willemphasize this point to the Euro-pean Commission, in order to redu-ce bureaucracy and ensure thisprinciple is applied.

■ Wolfgang v. DALLWITZ

Secretary General, German Landowners'

Association

Meeting with the Chairman of the EPP- ED(European Parliament)

Ameeting took place on October 5th 2004 between the Chairman of the EPP-ED, Prof. Hans Gert PÖTTERING, several other MEPs, Secretaries General from ELO and CEPF plus representatives from the German Foresters and Landowners' Associations.

Th. de L'ESCAILLE M. zu SALM-SALM Prof. Hans-Gert PÖTTERING N. HUFNAGLSecr. General ELO Vice-Chairman ELO Chairman of PPE-ED CEPF

1 Arbeitsgemeinschaft DeutscherGrundbesitzerverbände.

2 Arbeitsgemeinschaft DeutscherWaldbesitzerverbände.


EN

12

Syngenta International AGBrussels Office

Avenue Louise, 240B - 1050 Brussels

Tel : +32.2.642 2727Fax : +32.2.642 2720

People have been farming the landof Ireland for more than 6,000 years,every age and culture building on theknowledge and achievement of whatwent before. No factor has been moreresponsible for moulding the surfaceexpression and natural heritage of theIrish landscape than farming.Numerous accounts of the Irish lands-cape have been written over the lastquarter century, and all acknowledgethe fundamental role of farming. Thishowever is the first book to look at theentire sweep of Irish farming throughits long history, focusing in particularon the way farming has shaped thenatural and cultural endowment of

rural Ireland, and reviewing the stateof that endowment today.

Successive chapters review themain phases of Ireland's farm histo-ry from the arrival of the first farmers.The processes and activities of far-ming that effect change in the envi-ronment are reviewed, as is thematerial cultural legacy it has left onthe ground. Several chapters reviewthe main farmland habitats, and afinal chapter attempts to look intothe future of farming in Ireland.

This book is set to become thestandard work in its field, and will be

indispensable for anybody interes-ted in the history of Irish farming, orthe development and managementof the rural environment.

Over 600 pages, profusely illus-trated.

Farming in IrelandHistory, Heritage and Environment.John FEEHAN, Departement of Environmental ResourceManagement, Faculty of agriculture University College Dublin

Diary Dates 20052-4 MarchWels (Austria)World Days on SustainableEnergy 2005

8-10 MarchBarcelonaConference on HazardousWaste, in particular onprevention and recycling.

31 March - 3 AprilParis, Palais de Congrès10th Real Estate FairGEFI participating withCapital Europe Leaders

19-20 AprilBrusselsThird annual BrusselsConference on ClimateChange.

1-5 JuneSan Francisco (USA)World Environment Day 2005.Organised by the UnitedNations (UNEP).

15-18 SeptemberAvignon, FranceGeneral Assembly of Friendsof the Countryside.

Visits to vineyards, theAigues-Mortes saltmarshes and the PapalCity of Avignon.

June 2006Aix-en-Provence,France6th International ICREI Conference."Property rights,Economy and theEnvironment: landresources andlandscapes."

Farming in IrelandDept of Environmental Resource

Management UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Tel +353 (0) 1 716 7737 / 716 7728. Price: EUR90 (including postage

within Europe)

John FEEHAN is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture at UniversityCollege of Dublin. He has written extensively on the natural and cultural heri-

tage of the Irish landscape: his books include: "The landscape of SlieveBloom"; "Laois: an Environmental History" and (with Grace O'Donovan) "TheBogs of Ireland". Dr. FEEHAN received a Jacob's Award for his television pro-grammes on the Irish landscape in 1987, and the Annual Merit Award of the

Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management in 1998. Hereceived an Offaly Person of the Year award in 1988.


march 2005 editorial biomass, is it the future? - elo.org · elo - european landowners’...

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