THE CHALLENGE OF AGRICULTURE

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Instituting good practices

Agriculture may affect the status of water resources in a number of ways:

• Some European countries require significant amounts of water water for irrigation.
• Fertilizers, pesticides and livestock manure can deteriorate the quality of water reserves.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is the EU farm and rural policy, has been adapted to meet today's demands from society by promoting environment friendly production, competitiveness and efficiency. The CAP incorporates certain basic standards for the environment, food safety, animal health and animal welfare which help to reinforce agriculture's sustainability. This is known as "Cross-compliance”. This means that if farmers don't meet certain of the basic European standards for the environment, food safety, animal health and animal welfare their support will be reduced or even withdrawn.

In addition to this the EU also encourages better water management through support to voluntary actions such as:

• Investment projects: actions to improve water management and boost investments in new water saving technologies.
• Land management: actions adapted to local needs such as improving farm practises, creating uncultivated buffer zones along water courses, and the recovery and management of wetlands.

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