ARCHIVE: Cross compliance monitoring and evaluation
Background
Cross compliance measures were introduced in 2005, setting baseline standards that farmers must meet in order to receive their Single Payment. There are two elements to cross compliance: Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards largely relating to the protection of soils, habitats and landscape features; and Statutory Management Requirements (SMR) which are either pre-existing legislative requirements or those that Member States must implement under EU law. SMRs cover environmental, public, plant and animal health and, from 2007, animal welfare objectives. A list of SMRs and GAECs is available indicating their relevance to specific environmental issues.
With the imminent CAP health check in 2007 and review of cross compliance measures, these pages provide a summary of the impact of the measures introduced so far.
The May 2007 CCRU/CSL report Assessing the Impact of Cross Compliance in England made a set of recommendations for monitoring the impact of cross compliance including specific field studies and monitoring indicators. Following a review of the CSL/CCRU proposals, a two-tiered approach has been agreed. All SMRs and GAECs will be subject to basic monitoring of compliance levels from inspection data. Certain SMRs and GAECS will also be subject to a higher level of monitoring summarised in the table below.
Summary of higher level monitoring
The table provides a summary of the proposed higher level monitoring and links to available indicators and further information. These will be updated as information becomes available.
| Changes in management/farm practice | Environmental impact | |
|---|---|---|
SMR 2 Groundwater |
• % Agricultural area covered by groundwater authorisations. • Investigate use of pesticide disposal data either via Defra Farm Practices Survey (FPS) or Central Science Laboratory (CSL) study. |
• Pesticides in groundwater. |
SMR 4 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) |
• Analysis of British Survey of Fertiliser Practice (BSFP) data to investigate application rates and timings of applications within NVZs. • Use existing FPS data on manure management plans. • Use existing FPS data on slurry store capacity. [encourage repeat questions in future surveys] |
• General Quality Assesment (GQA) data on nutrient status of rivers. |
GAEC 1 Soil Protection Review |
• Potential study of farms both within and outside the Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative (CSFDI) on awareness and management practices. • Use Defra Farm Practices Survey to collect data on use of soil protection reviews and steps to maintain/improve soil quality. |
• Average organic matter content of soil from 2008 |
GAEC 8 Public rights of way |
• Investigate potential of Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) data or section 130 notices (under Highways act). |
|
GAEC 9 Overgrazing and unsuitable supplementary feeding |
• Monitor changes in livestock numbers. |
• Condition of relevant Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI). • Investigate potential for upland birds index. • Investigate use of National Park phase 1 habitat survey data. • Utilise Natural England monitoring/evaluation. |
GAEC12 Eligible land not in agricultural production & GAEC 14 Protection of hedgerows and watercourses |
• Investigate use of FPS to collect information on management of fallow land and margins. • Use existing Single Payment Scheme data to monitor proportion of land exempt from GAEC14. |
• Field study to determine the vegetation composition and structure of GAEC 12 land and 2m margins (GAEC 14) in relation to soil type and length of time fallow in conjunction with farmer questionnaire. Conducted as part of the monitoring of the 0% set-aside rate. Results published 8th August 2008. |
GAEC 15 Hedgerows |
• Analyse FPS survey data to monitor hedgerow cutting dates. |
Further information
Further information on cross compliance can be found on the CAP cross compliance internet site.
Contact
You can email the Observatory Programme Team at: observatory@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
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Page last modified: 7 July, 2010
Page published: July, 2008