COUNTRY REPORT ON THE PRESENT ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION IN AGRICULTURE
- LITHUANIA -

Alvydas Balezentis
Lithuanian Institute of Agrarian Economics, Vilnius

INTRODUCTION

Due to the ongoing processes of collectivization, land restitution and chemical treatment as well as the enlargement of fields in rural areas, land erosion and pollution has increased tremendously. It has caused the increased pollution of surface-run-off and groundwater. Due to the major construction of buildings for livestock and other types of buildings, new establishments of settlements increased the number of water and soil pollution sources.

In recent times, the territorial structures of rural areas were dismantled with the transformation of the landscape occurring as well. Due to the aforesaid, the ecological situation in the rural areas has aggravated and the attractiveness of the countryside thus diminished. Decrease in the agricultural production volume also led to a decrease in air pollution. However, in the meantime, due to the establishment of market-oriented farms and the development of the processing industry, air pollution has once again been increasing.

The National Agricultural Development Programme defines how Lithuania strives to achieve the compatibility between agricultural production and environment protection goals

With regard to the aforesaid, the National Agri-environment Programme is currently under preparation. The latter programme provides for special measures, which decrease the damaging impact of agricultural activities in the environment. The aim of the programme is to solve problems associated with the impact at agricultural activities have on the environment, such as surface water pollution with nutrient matter due to point-and-dispersed pollution, the disappearance of biodiversity, and the transformed landscape in rural areas and so fourth.

IMPACT OF TRANSITION AND STRUCTURE OF PROPERTY RIGHTS

Privatization and Redefinition of Property Rights on Natural Resources

During the land reform, which started in Lithuania in 1931, the following changes occurred in the use of land:

1. Former large-scale agricultural enterprises (collective farms and state-owned farms) lost the right to land at the end of 1931. According to the Government Resolution, they had to be liquidated (eliminated). In 1932, the large-scale agricultural enterprises were reorganized into smaller corporate farms, which obtained the right to land on the basis of the land tenancy agreements signed with the landowners. Due to the frequent (annual) land restitution claims, national land tenancy agreements are always short term.
2. New family farms are being established on the reclaimed land. These land users have right to establish the homesteads as well as to sell, rent or otherwise dispose of one's own land.
3. Up to 1989, individual families living in rural areas took advantage of the arable land allocated for farming (0.5-0.6 hectares) in accordance with the needs of these areas of land for forage purposes. The proceeding legal acts provide for the extent of land allocated to personal farms: 2-3 hectares of utilized agricultural area. These farms differ from the market-oriented and family farms in the way that their production is consumed within the farm (not for sale).

These main land user groups cover the major part of the agricultural areas. The agricultural areas utilized by the corporate farms decreased (some are liquidated, and new corporate farms are not being established). The number of family farms is increasing; however, a major part of these family farms rent the land to other farmers or corporate farms. The number of agricultural households is decreasing due to the fact that after land restitution they are included in the family farm category. Further changes will be stabilized after land privatization is completed. The number of land users, which use land just for a short period, will decrease too. Agricultural land use dynamics are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Agricultural land use dynamics in Lithuania 1994,1996 and 1998

In line with land reform, process of the forest privatization is taking place (rehabilitation of ownership rights and purchase of used areas from the state). It is foreseen that the proportion of the privately-owned-and-state-owned used areas will change as indicated in Table 2.

Table 2. Structure of wood areas in Lithuania and future forecasts

After regaining independence, failure of the collective-farm system, as well as change in the rural society changes its view toward land. Individuals decided to retain highly fertile land for generations and to produce high quality agricultural products with the efficient use of fertilizers. Mineral fertilizers are expensive and constitute a significant part of farm expenditures. Due to their high cost, farmers and corporate farms buy only the necessary quantities of fertilizers. Moreover, for economic reasons certain parts of the land are not fertilized at all. It frequently occurs that the farmer lacks sufficient knowledge about fertilizers and their rational use.

Restructurization in rural areas

In the past several years, all collective and state farms were reorganized and privatized. As a result, the farming structure showed a tendency to change towards smaller sized private farms. Currently, four different types of land use characterize the Lithuanian farming structure (Table 3).

Table 3. Farming structure in Lithuania during the period of 1994-1997

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Lithuania

• Agricultural companies (corporate farms). Larger, corporate farming enterprises were created as a result of the privatization and transformation of state and collective farms. Agricultural companies are also involved in food processing and trading activities. Under current law, agricultural companies are not allowed to own agricultural land. The new law on agricultural partnerships facilitates the further transformation of these companies into genuine privately owned operations and will support the consolidation of these which financially and economically seem to be most viable as joint-stock companies.
• Family farms. The first family farms were established before independence through the Law on Peasant Farms, which allowed rural inhabitants to receive user rights on land up to 50 hectares. This process of land allocation continued until September 1991, when the new overall laws for land restitution superseded it. The consolidation of the increasing number of smaller-scale private farms will be the most serious challenge facing the agricultural leadership of the country.
• Household plots (household farms). There are more than 640 000 household plots, averaging about 2.2 hectares in size. These are often operated by the shareholders of agricultural companies or by rural inhabitants in order to supplement their income from other sources.
• Other state land users. A significant portion (14%) of state-owned agricultural land is currently used for thousands of garden plots operated by urban dwellers, as well as by research and education establishments.

Liberalization

The objective of the current policy is to support the development of a competitive farming sector by gradually abolishing price subsidies and support farm incomes through direct payments and investment support as well as reduction in the level of trade protection.

Lithuania has progressed through most of all, of the several steps in the evolution of price formation mechanisms. Beginning from state determined prices and implicit subsidy patterns of the pre-reform period, input subsidies were removed, regulated farm and retail prices were increased, prices were deregulated, quantitative trade restrictions were replaced by tariffs, and domestic market intervention policies were introduced.

Real farm prices have declined substantially, while real retail prices have increased after market liberalization.

A new system of agricultural taxation is being prepared and will be launched with the introduction of a universal income tax system.

Development of the Economic Framework on the Farm Level

Land Market

The land market is constrained by those legal limits restricting land ownership to only physical individuals and to the State, and the setting an upper limit on individually owned land, thereby preventing the use of land as collateral. Only registered land can be sold. There is a quite active lease market, which is expected to increase further as the compulsory leasing to agricultural companies expired in 1997. The most significant land trading activity is related to the purchase from the government of those household plots distributed in rural areas before restitution began in earnest. The current users have priority over former owners who might claim the purchase of their plots. Out of 34 000 household plots, about one third of the owners have already purchased their plots with privatization vouchers. Another third of users have traded land acquired through other means in exchange for the ownership of their plots. The remaining third of the cases are still unsettled.

Development of Input and Output Prices

Between 1991 and 1996, agricultural incomes suffered from a severe price-cost squeeze. This occurred because the prices, especially energy, were liberalized at an early stage in the reform process, while at this stage food processing remained subject to government regulation. The gap between agricultural input and output prices widened sharply between 1992 and 1994, but narrowed again in 1995 and 1996 when the rise in input prices slowed because of falling inflation, while output prices increased as a result of the further deregulation of the agricultural sector.

During the transition period, consumers were affected by the loss of massive consumer subsidies at the same time that real incomes were falling. This resulted in a sharp increase in the proportion of household income spent on food, which almost doubled to 61.5% between 1990 and 1993. In more recent years, with the slowdown in food price increases in 1994/96 and some growth in real incomes, this expenditure share fell back slightly to 57.4% in 1995, and to 56.6% in 1996, and fell further to 52.2% in 1997 [16].

IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Degradation Caused by Agriculture

Agriculture and Soil Protection

Soil Erosion

Erosion is a soil-breaking process caused by natural factors and human activities. In Lithuania, the most common types of erosion are water erosion and wind erosion. The latter phenomenon especially became common during the existence of collective farms due to the fact that most of the areas of land were utilized for sowing purposes. A massive cut down of bushes and small trees, as well as the tillage of soil, led to these the above mentioned types of erosion. About 15% of utilized agricultural area is constantly being affected by erosion and about 38% of land is exposed to potential risk by erosion.

Water erosion is especially severe during the period of melting snow and heavy showers. There are two types of water erosion especially common in Lithuania: linear (when soil is broken up by the concentrated heavy water flows) and plane (when water is concentrated on the surface of land). Both types of erosion cause a lot of damage.

Wind erosion is not as harmful as water erosion but it should not be underestimated. This type of erosion is common on arable land the size of which is 160 hectares and is especially strong during the snowless winters when the soil is deeply frozen, and in the early spring when the soil dries up very quickly.

Human activities is the main factor causing erosion processes. If there were no soil tillage, only some places would be effected by erosion and would end up appearing as ravines. However, there would almost be no possibilities for linear and plane erosion to appear. Moreover, water erosion is stimulated due to the improper tillage of soil and poor crop alteration in certain places.

Consumption of Mineral Fertilizers

Most of the soil in Lithuania is not very fertile. Moreover, its physical and chemical characteristics are not favourable. The soil is not enriched with potassium and phosphorus.

More than one third of the arable land in Lithuania contain acid. A major part of such land is in the Western and eastern parts of Lithuania it constitutes half of the total arable land. Due to the aforesaid, the conditions for plant growing become worse. As a result, there is an increased need for fertilizers.

The mineral fertilizer industry experienced rapid development in the post-war period. At the same time, the use of fertilizers in agriculture increased too. Special attention was paid to the accumulation of organic materials and to the appropriate consumption. With the purpose of rationally using organic fertilizers, a National Agri-chemical Service was established, and highly qualified specialist have been employed within this system. The agronomic services within each state-owned agricultural enterprise were responsible for the organization and control of fertilization. Despite the newly established systems, only the economically successful farms were capable of the rational use of fertilizers, and in acquiring the necessary fertilizers and guaranty the use, which is safe to the surrounding environment.

The production volume of mineral fertilizers in Lithuania is gradually increasing and has doubled during the last five years. However, the demand for fertilizers has been decreasing. With comparing the consumption of fertilizers between now and during the last decade, it has been noticed that consumption has decreased around ten fold. The latter sector indicates that agriculture is undergoing difficult times. However, from the environmental perspective it is an encouraging fact.

Currently, around 70 kg of mineral fertilizers is used for one hectare of agricultural area. The total annual consumption of fertilizers is 50 thousand tonnes within the country. This number includes 30 thousand tones of nitric fertilizers, 20 thousand tones of phosphorus and potassium. The use of fertilizers in different farms greatly depends on economic reasons.

Despite there is no statistical data on the production and consumption of the organic fertilizers, it is apparent that corporate farms and other types of farms strive for the rational use of fertilizers. Of course, as it was mentioned above, these people lack knowledge on how to use fertilizers properly. For this purpose outside expertise is being sought.

Due to the improving situation in the agricultural sector, it is estimated that consumption of mineral fertilizers will increase in the future. However, to a great extent the situation will depend on further policy implementation and training.

Agriculture and Water Protection

Plant Protection

Pesticides have been used even four hundred years ago. Many people suffered, and the environment was polluted due to a scarce knowledge about their proper use. When using such chemicals, very little was known about the harmful effects they have and, as a result, many people working with pesticides suffered from their damaging effects. Moreover, there was a shortage of health protection measures and pesticides were sometimes used unconsciously.

The 1980s brought with it more intensive agricultural development, and positive results have been achieved. A lot of mineral fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical materials were used in agricultural activities. Intensive technologies for crop growing were applied. Due to the aforesaid, the 1980s achieved the highest level of pesticide use. However, at the same time scientific institutions have been looking for chemical materials which are more effective and less dangerous to human health. They have been looking at alternative materials for plant protection. Most of the agricultural enterprises hired plant protection specialists, the responsibility of whom was to supervise the use of pesticides. Strong control on the use of chemical materials were carried out.

By now there are a lot of pesticides in warehousing, the validity of which have expired. In many cases, the packaging is old and this way threatens the environment.

After regaining independence and the failure of collective farms, the volume of agricultural production decreased. At the same time, the need for and consumption of pesticides decrease. Only the most successful farmers continued to use pesticides. Some of those farms could afford to buy new atomisers or instead repair the old ones. Due to these factors, the quality of spraying improved.

In the meantime, there has been a tendency for the consumption of pesticides to increase; constituting 50 kg of pesticides per 100 hectares of utilized agricultural area. This figure is much lower in comparison to the 1980s. Gradually the process for pesticide registration is becoming stricter. It is forbidden to register pesticides the validity of which has expired and which are not suitable for consumption. Priority is given to pesticides which are more safer for human health and environmentally less dangerous. Companies distributing pesticides on regular basis consult farmers on how to use pesticides in order to cause as little harm as possible.

Currently, chemical use for plant protection purposes is insignificant and it is unrealistic to even decrease this quantity. However, it is estimated that as farms grow the consumption level will also increase. In the meantime, it is very important to seek the rational use of pesticides and to cause as little harm as possible.

Water Protection

At the moment, concentrated pollution has diminished because of industry decline. However, dispersed pollution, the major source of which is agriculture, covered larger areas up to 1995, and only during recent years has it began to diminish. Even today, the flow of nitrate nitrogen dispersed in polluted rivers had not yet decreased to the level of 1990.

The most polluted rivers with nitrate are the Nevis and the Tatula. From 1992-1995 the largest amount of the nitrate in these rivers. The flow of nitrate nitrogen in the Nevis at that time was from 4 327 to 6 300, in the Tatula: 290-300 tonnes annually. Recently, the flow of pollution has decreased in these rivers. However, nitrogen concentrations still exceed permissible limits, especially in the springtime. Phosphate concentration also exceeds permissible limits in the river Tatula.Moreover, in certain cases, it exceeds the limits by up to 10 times. Even though the river Nevis does not display leaps in the level of concentrations, it exceeds the permissible limits all year round.

Underground hydrosphere is characterized by large inertia. In the forage area within the district of Kdainiai, 15 years after removing the farmstead nutrient matter concentration exceeded permissible limits. Therefore, pollution prevention for the quality of ground waters is very important. Moreover, the pollution of underground waters has been determined to cover one-third of the country's territory. Nitrogen and organic matters mainly pollute underground water in Lithuania. Around 800 thousand of the population uses mine-well water, which has nitrate levels way above permissible limits.

The Good Agriculture Practice code helps to decrease dispersed and concentrated water pollution. In the future, there will be support for the development of agriculture preservation. The implementation of international projects will speed-up and stimulate the introduction of technologies for the reduction of water pollution.

Land Improvement

An area of 3 046.0 thousand hectares (77 percent of moist land fund) is being drained in Lithuania; 2 620.5 thousand hectares of it are drained by drainage. The total length of all categories of ditches is 63 372 km. The length of drainage pick-up and drains is 1 603.7 thousand kilometres. There are 70 754 thousand of various hydrotechnical equipment, 105 pumping stations, 721 369 thousand drainage equipment, 264 reservoirs (the area of which is 11 23.1 hectares), 17 487 kilometres of roads and 500 km of protective dykes were built in the draining process. Most of the works were carried out between 1966-1990. 120-140 thousand hectares was drained in different years. This created favourable conditions for the intensification of agricultural production. According to some plant-growing and cattle-breeding data Lithuania has achieved the level of the most developed countries in the world, while the living conditions of its inhabitants has also improved.

Major harm has been caused to the environment by the intensification of agricultural production according to the policy of that time.

The streamlets were controlled, the ditches were sewerage, the shrubs were stubbed and even the forests were felled in some places, unproductive lands were cultivated and the peat bogs were drained in the process of farms enlargement. For this reason, the hydrological regime has changed in Lithuania; the area of swamps, natural meadows and pastures has decreased; field erosion by the wind and water has intensified, the ground water level has gone down, channel erosion in the steep-inclined straightened streamlets has increased, the landscape has changed, the ecological corridor has been broken in many places, and the number of wild animals which are common in the Lithuanian forests (hares, quails, snipes, larks etc.) has decreased. Perhaps the most serious problem is that the spontaneous cleaning of plants from unused material has decreased. The washing off of nitrates through drainage has increased to 15-20 kg/ha within a year and is stronger than in a streamlet. For this reason, the enlargement of drainage systems not only reduced the ground water level, but also made worse the quality of the water. After the moving of individual farms, the cattle density and manure norms often exceed recommendations around the settlements and large cattle-breeding farms. The distant fields, however, are fertilized only by fertilizers so the soil has begun degrading.

Every year the state decreased grants for the inspection of land-improvement equipment and for the new systems building. It will be difficult to expect support for the inspection of land-improvement equipment. So far and maybe in the future the farmers can gradually promote the inspection of land-improvement equipment. This will by itself stimulate naturalization of some reclaimed areas less suitable for agriculture.

Agriculture and Air Protection

The quality of the air is constantly monitored in ten urban and industrial centres, by 22 permanent air control stations. More than 76 000 air samples are tested annually for dust sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and specific pollutants related to the chemical industry. Fuel combustion is the most significant air polluter. Air quality in the cities depends mainly on emissions from stationary (industry and energy) and mobile (transport) polluting sources and also on meteorological dispersal conditions. A high concentration of pollutants usually occurs when weather conditions do not allow pollutants to disperse in the higher atmospheric layers.

During the last eight years there has been a decrease in the volume of emission into the atmosphere, but this is related more to a decrease in pollution from stationary sources. The effect of transport on air pollution is constantly growing. Today pollutants from mobile sources make up three-quarters of atmospheric pollutants. The gradual replacement of crude oil with natural gas will continue to diminish pollution from stationary sources will grow in absolute and relative measures.

Agriculture and Its Impact on the Protection of Landscape

The implementation of market principles in the economy has caused changes in the formation of the landscape. The restoration of private ownership of land has increased diversity in land utilization, including the widening of arable areas, logging, construction and so on. In time, the conditions for a more stable functioning of the landscape will materialize. A relative surplus of agricultural produce means that some previously cultivated land is undergoing a re-naturalization process. This process is leading to the revival of natural plants, the rejuvenation of soil formation processes and an increase in the potential productivity of soil.

Land, which is used for agriculture is decreasing to some extent because of the total area of land significant for agricultural production is decreasing (3 000-4 000 hectares per year), while areas under forests are increasing (2.000-3.000 hectares per year). Areas drained have diminished tremendously. At the same time, urbanization is increasing. By 1 January 1997, there were 307 300 hectares of urban land and road areas and 2 469 500 hectares of natural and semi-natural forests, greenery, marsh and water. In other words, the ratio between natural and semi-natural land to urban land now equals 8.04. This indicator is the poorest in the Kaunas (5.35), Marijampol (5.45) and iauliai (6.68) districts, in the regions of Vilkavikis (3.20), Pasvalys (4.37) and Pakruojis (4.83) and in the cities of Panevys (0.11), Marijampol (0.25), and Kaunas (0.50). There is an obvious need for the development of measures to balance urban and green landscapes- primarily in the poorest and most disturbed areas.

The future dynamics of landscape diversity will depend to a great extent on public efforts to implement a sustainable development strategy.

In summarising the current environmental conditions, it can be said that the situation has improved in comparing to what it had been during the last decade before independence.

Agriculture and Biodiversity

Natural and semi-natural ecosystems such as forests, bogs, grasslands, waters and sand cover one third of Lithuanian territory. The number of species in different ecosystems varies. There are three biogeographical provinces in Lithuania: the East Baltic, Central Europe and Baltic Sea Aquatic.

In order to preserve species and habitats, the Lithuanian Red Book has been compiled as well as protective territories being established. Many territories with high biodiversity are in Lithuanian highlands, sandy plains and valleys.

There have been 32 laws adopted in Lithuania, which directly or indirectly regulate environmental protection and the usage of natural biological resources. The Lithuanian Ministry of Environment is responsible for the preservation of biodiversity. The Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture as well as the district and municipal institutions, also deals with the preservation of biodiversity.

The Institute of Botany, the Institute of Ecology, the Institute of Forests and other institutes as Vilnius University, Vilnius Pedagogical University and Klaipda University investigate biodiversity in Lithuania. Non-governmental organizations such as the Lithuanian Nature Fund, societies of Ornithologists, Botanists, Teriologists, etc. also work in the field of biodiversity preservation.

During Soviet times, biodiversity was damaged by the draining of reclamed: natural bogs and marshes were drained, small rivers' beds were straightened, small woods in fields and farmstead were cut down, etc. A lot of different chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides, etc. were poured on those crops grown in big arable land areas. The chemical and wastewater pollution of soil, lakes, rivers, the Kur�iai Lagoon and the Baltic Sea has increased. The intensive eutrophization of lake has alos started. Because of these processes a succession of flora and fauna, some species of plants, animals and fungus have all vanished. After the abolition of farmsteads, traditional farming was wrecked, irretrievably destroying the genefund of many cultural plants, cattle and poultry.

At present, after the ruination of the collective farm system, individual farms make a considerably lower impact on biodiversity. The means assigned for land reclamation, supervision of mechanisms and reconstruction is decreasing year after year in Lithuania. According to the priorities approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, the construction of new drainage systems is limited. The activities of non-governmental organizations and international agroenvironment funds are developing which prompt attention to be turned to the deteriorating ecological situation in rural areas.

INFLUENCE OF SOCIETY ON THE AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

Institutional Change within Environmental Policy

The state system of regulating environmental protection has changed a great deal over a short period of time. The Lithuanian Department of Environmental Protection has been established within regard to the order of the Lithuanian Supreme Council in April 1990, less than a month after the regaining of independence. The task, functions, authority, structure and management of this Department were confirmed in July 1990 by law, and was subsequently set up as an institution accountable to the Supreme Council (now the Parliament).

In 1994, therefore, the Department of Environmental Protection was reorganized into the Ministry of Environmental Protection. At the same time, ten regional environmental protection agencies were reorganized into regional departments (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipda, iauliai, Panevys, Alytus, Marijampol and Utena). Local environmental protection agencies were established in these municipalities.

Taking into account the experience of many European countries, and seeking to adopt more balanced decisions on environmental protection, the part of territorial planning and the development of housing and technical standardization, urban planning carried out by the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development and the part of forestry regulated by the former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry were transferred to the former Ministry of Environmental Protection which in spring of the 1998 become the Ministry of Environment. Territorial planning within the Ministry of Environment was to some extent conducive to strengthening environmental protection policies by co-ordinating development interests. Nevertheless, the results of this attempt to co-ordinate environment protection and development interests will only be apparent in the future when it becomes clear whether the parties involved are able to arrive at balanced decisions.

A significantly more complex situation exist, not at a high ministerial level, but in regional and local governments. At the very beginning, district administrations were created as instruments for developing and implementing regional policy. There is still no adequate district partner on environmental protection to participate in decision making on development issues. And, finally, there has been no adequate division of functions and responsibilities between the Ministry, district administrations representing regional policy, and the local environmental protection agencies. It should be mentioned that the EU considers that the creation and implementation of co-ordinated regional policy as a necessary condition for EU membership.

It is very important to foster qualified environmental protection actors in order to guarantee that development is environmentally friendly and beneficial to society. Moreover, decisions made on the local government level often directly affect local community development.

When summarising today's management problems, it should be said that a three-level environmental protection policy should be developed: the Parliament and the Ministry of Environment should be responsible on national basis, and district administrations and local governments should be responsible on regional basis, which will enhance wide spread public participation. At present, national structures are better developed, while regional structures are still being established.

In spite of the frequent organizational and functional changes within the environmental protection system, programme management is used more often and more broadly here than in other state sectors. This type of management is based on the formulation and implementation of programmes and strategies, the most important of which is the Lithuanian State Strategy for Environmental Protection, developed in 1994-1995, which is being implemented gradually. Environmental conditions and environmental protection management is being assessed, the economic growth tendencies are being analysed, long-term goals are being formulated, priorities are set out, a short and middle term action programme is under development, and recommendations for the financial resources are provided. The main aim for the implementation of the Environmental Protection Strategy is to guarantee the country's balanced and sustainable development, which will maintain a healthy natural environment, protect biological and landscape diversity ensuring the beneficial utilization of natural resources. The priority within this Strategy is the air and water quality.

The first environment-monitoring programme was implemented in 1993. A new State Monitoring Programme was developed in 1997. This Programme encompasses a broader spectrum of observations, which include a more extensive evaluation of environmental components. There are three integrated monitoring stations that provide data according to requirements, which are observed by 23 European countries.

The Division of Land Reclamation and the Environment within the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture was established in 1997. Before the Board of Land Reclamation was dealing with Land Reclamation matters, agri-environmental affairs were solved in different divisions.

Environmental Policy Related to Agriculture

Legislative and Institutional Framework for a National Agri-environmental Policy

The Law on Environmental Protection, approved in January 1992, regulates environment protection principles. This law has been prepared taking into account the conditions detected by the period of transition as well as the experience of many countries which have succeeded in improving their national environment protection legislation (Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and others).

This law was conceived as a framework law for the principal environmental protection statutes and the secondary laws:

• The Law on Protected Areas;
• The Law on Forests;
• The Law on Land Shafts;
• The Law on Plant Protection;
• The Law on Territorial Planning;
• The Law on Environmental Monitoring;
• The Law on Environmental Impact Assessment;
• The Law on Animal Protection;
• The Law on Vegetation Protection;
• The Law on Rare and Endangered Species;
• The Law on Water;
• The Law on Aquatic Environment;
• The Law on Waste Management.

The framework Law also established the Law on Fee for Natural Resource Utilization and Fines for Environment Pollution in the first half of 1991. This Law also serves as a legal basis for the introduction of economic regulatory procedures in the environmental protection system. Separate aspects of environmental protection are regulated in laws on land reform, transport, energy, etc.

The principle laws on environmental protection conform to EU recommendations. The Ministry of the Environment participates in the Programme for the harmonization of national laws with European legislation. It presents revisions of different laws to the Government and Parliament. The Lithuanian initiative, which often goes beyond EU recommendations, has been favourably accepted. For example, EU experts confirmed as acceptable for ratification by the Lithuanian Parliament the Law on Environmental Monitoring, even though EU recommendations do not set out such a separate law.

A significant part of the legal system for environmental protection is composed of decisions made by the Government. Nevertheless, Government- regulated environment protection legal basis is constantly amended. The most significant legal problems to emerge are an inadequate co-ordination of laws, their ineffective implementation and insufficient public participation in considering proposals for legislation.

The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, and the Water Management Institute have prepared Recommendations for Prevention Means for the Reduction of the Spread Pollutants from Agricultural Sources, which were adopted in 1998. In these Recommendations, prevention means are discussed, which allow reducing pollutants induced by agriculture, especially concentrations of phosphate and nitrogen in water. These Recommendations are the first step to the preparation of the Good Agricultural Practice Code.

The main principle of environment protection policy in the Lithuanian Environmental Strategy is sustainable development. This principle requires economic and social development in a way that would not limit possibilities for future generations to satisfy their needs. The Rio de Janeiro Conference (1992) has consolidated this principle on a world scale and Lithuania has signed the declaration together with other world countries.

The implementation of these strategic principles at the same time should ensure agricultural producers' incomes that correspond to international living standards regarding rural society.

In order to restore the balance between humans and their environment, the following programmes have to be prepared and implemented:

1. Programme on nutrient preservation in agriculture;
2. Programme on the reduction of plant protection means bringing a negative influence on the environment;
3. Programme for drinking water quality improvement in rural areas;
4. Programme on the intensive production of high quality fodder and food products;
5. Programme for the restoration of ethnic landscape and the increase of biodiversity;
6. Programme on the reduction of the use of growth stimulators and antibiotics in agriculture;
7. Programme on the development of rural infrastructure and on the creation of economic and social welfare.

The first three programmes are the most important in striving for reduction of pollution in agriculture.

The main measures concerning the implementation of the Programme on the reduction of nutrient loss in agriculture:

• Identification of zones harmed by agricultural activities and vulnerable to the pollution according to Nitrate directive 91/676/EEC;
• Environment impact monitoring of means decreasing pollution and suggestions to improve political and technical decisions;
• More equal live-stock distribution while seeks to implement live-stock density standard;
• Building of sewage reservoirs and dung-yards in all farms with more than four livestock unites;
• Collection and treatment of silage and sewage;
• Suitable manure and sewage spraying technologies;
• Use of fertilizers taking into account the balance of nutrients;
• Maintenance of the optimal ratio between green areas and arable land;
• Plant rotation for the more equal use of nutrients;
• Introduction of technical means reducing the leakage of biogenic substances;
• New plant species, plant rotation and land cultivation technologies reducing nitrogen mineralization;
• Implementation of alternative farming on less favourable land;
• Preparation and implementation of the Code of Good Agricultural Practice.

The following measures are suggested for the implementation of the Programme on reduction of plant protection means bringing a negative influence on environment:

• Registration and legalization of pesticides;
• Suitable storage and use;
• License system;
• Establishment and implementation of optimal technologies;
• Inspection and testing of sprayers;
• Application of alternative plant protection measures;
• Introduction of more resistant plant varieties and plant rotation.

All measures concerning the first programme are suitable for the implementation of the Programme for drinking water quality improvement in rural areas. Besides that, additional measures are suggested:

• Putting in order protection zones of all drinking water wells;
• Increase extension of agriculture production in sandy soils.

In all irrigated places, where surface or ground water could be extracted and used as drinking water, it is also necessary to implement those measures indicated in the European Union Directive (80/778/EEC) concerning Drinking Water, the Directive (75/440/EEC) concerning Surface Water, theDirective (78/659/EEC) on the Fish Water, and the Directive (80/68/EEC) on the Ground Water.

The measures suggested for the implementation of all three programmes correspond to the European Union, HELCOM, and Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region requirements.

Lithuania has a Plant Protection Law and other legal documents providing for the proper use of pesticides. The Plant Protection Inspection is responsible for the training of farmers concerning pesticide use. It also issues licenses for the purchase of certain pesticides and for trade, as well as carrying out sprayer inspections.

The working group on agri-environment established within the Ministry of Agriculture working on the preparation of an Agri-environmental Programme for Lithuania. The National Agri-environmental Protection Scheme might be a long-term strategy on environment protection in rural areas that the Ministry of Agriculture should follow.

The objective of the Programme is to prepare and implement measures for environmentally friendly farming, reduce the negative impact of agriculture on the environment, restore the ethnic landscape, increase biodiversity and ensure normal living standards for rural inhabitants according to the European Commission regulation 2078/92/EEC.

There will be four schemes in the Programme:

• General Agri-environmental Protection Scheme (GAPS);
• Supplementary Agri-environment Protection Scheme (SAPS);
• Consultation and training Scheme;
• Demonstration projects.

The GAPS will be applied throughout the territory of Lithuania. Farmers participating in the scheme and fulfilling its set of requirements will receive compensation for the loss of incomes and services provided for the environment.

The SAPS supplements measures defined by the GAPS. Farmers wishing to participate in the SAPS must participate in the GAPS too. The GAPS has been established for specific farms or territories, and includes for the restoration of the landscape and the preservation of traditional biotops.

The Lithuanian Agricultural Advisory Service, together with education and research institutions, will provide training and consultation concerning agri-environmental schemes and their implementation.

Demonstration projects can include demonstrations of new environmentally beneficial cultivation techniques, demonstrations of new measuring techniques to assist in designing the good agricultural practice, demonstrations of treatment practices for agricultural runoff waters, and demonstration of landscape management techniques and promoting biodiversity, etc.

There are plans that next year the Government will adopt the Programme. A Lithuanian application to SAPARD for the co-financing of an Agri-environmental programme in a given pilot area might be presented in 1999. The integrated administration and control system according to the Council Regulation 3508/92 and 729/70 for Agri-environment Programme as well as for all other agricultural measures should be established by the year of 2000.

Protection of Natural Resources in Agriculture

The creation and development of nature conservation measures and the system of protected areas is one of the most important and exceptional achievements of the Lithuanian environment protection system. A proposal adopted in the resolutions of the 4^th World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas, which took place in Caracas in 1992, called for the expansion of the network of protected areas in every country during the next decade. This should encompass no less than 10% of a country's territory. Within the nature protection scheme, which had been developed in 1986, by 1992 the system of protected areas had been completed. Lithuania, along with a number of other countries (including the Scandinavian region) has systematically developed a system of legally protected areas. Today, the network encompasses 11.2% of state land. It is designed to preserve all types of landscape including those which are internationally recognised: five state strict reserves, five national parks, 30 regional parks, 290 state and 94 local government reserves and nearly 700 protected objects. Currently the total protected area is more than 734 000 hectares. There are plans for the creation of an additional 18 state reserves within military grounds used during the former occupation.

Table 4. Protected areas in Lithuania

In the most strictly preserved state reserve zones, forests cover less than half of the territory and nearly 63% of areas included within the most important areas, such as national parks.

National Measures on the Promotion of Ecological Sound Agricultural Practices

In 1997, the Rural Support Fund was formed under a Government resolution (amended in 1998) which provides for the procedure of distribution of the Rural Support Fund. The Organic Farming Programme and the "Tatula Programme" are both financed from this Fund.

The Ministry of Agriculture approved the Organic Farming Support Programme and decided to finance it from the Rural Support Fund. Its aim is to develop organic farming, to establish for it a favourable infrastructure, to create conditions for the production of organic products which are highly demanded in local and foreign markets.

• Under this Programme, up to 25% of investment expenses for organic farming or its infrastructural development is compensated for from the Rural Support Fund, but the amount should not exceed 50 000 Lt.
• For the first 3 years the certified organic farms get subsidies for areas under crops.
• 75% of certification work is carried out by the public institution "Ekoagros" and financed by the Rural Support Fund; the farmer covers 25% of the fee.

In 1993 the "Tatula Programme" has established for the protection of underground water from pollution, and the development of organic farming in intensive karst regions. The Rural Support Fund provides the means for fulfilling this programme.

The main types of activities of the programme are:

• ecological education;
• research;
• monitoring of the environment;
• reorganization of farming transferring from traditional methods to ecological farming and the conservation of natural resources, agricultural production processing, and the search for the new markets;
• measures for the prevention of point pollution. Environmental protection measures for point pollution ceasing in farms are 100% compensated.

The self-governmental structure of "Tatula Programme" contains 153 members: 104 farmers, 21 food processing plants and other organizations, 10 co-operative agricultural companies, 18 physical individuals. The highest concentration of organic farms is in the karst region. This Programme sets a good example for the establishment of other programmes in vulnerable areas such as the Nemunas Delta Region, Middle Lithuania Region, etc.

According to the Law on the State Regulation of Economic Relations in Agriculture, adopted in 1994, specialized institutions, upon receiving a license from an institution authorized by the Government, shall issue licenses for the produce grown on organic farms and shall control its quality. According to this law, organic farms are controlled and inspected by the public institution "Ekoagros", which has been established by the Ministries of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health. "Ekoagros" and the Swedish organization of certification, KRAV, signed an agreement according to which Lithuanian agricultural organic products can be sold abroad as organic. At present, "Ecoagros" has applied for international accreditation.

For the production, processing and selling of organic agricultural products, Organic Farming Regulations (confirmed in 1997) are applied, which have been prepared with regard to the EU Council Regulation on organic production (2092/91/EEC) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) standards. At present, there are 60 certified and 84 transitional organic farms in Lithuania with the total area of organic production being 4 006 hectares.

Importance of Parties, National Environmental Associations and Organizations

The "Green Face" of Political Parties

The highest environmental upsurge in Lithuanian society came ten years ago. Actions against environmental polluters coincided with Lithuanian revival actions.

Political parties tend to raise environment protection problems during election campaigns. The environmental protection aspects within the programmes of the largest political parties are faceless. The Lithuanian Green Party is not very active or efficient and currently has no representatives in the Parliament. The most important role this party plays is in public education.

The Political Importance of Private and Non-profit Organizations

The main objective; achieving a balanced sustainable development, led to the need for public education on environmental protection issues. It is important:

• to transfer knowledge and experience which reflects mankind's all-round achievements in environmental protection;
• to foster and develop skills for solving environmental protection problems;
• to strengthen public responsibility and emphasize the need to preserve the environment for future generations;
• to propagate a healthy public lifestyle based on the principles of sustainable development;
• to implement a policy on the free flow of information on environment protection subjects;
• to increase public competence in the sphere of environmental protection and to stimulate participation in the decision making process.

Public education and the demonstration of world experience in the agri-environmental protection sector along with the stimulation of environmental protection initiatives, is one of the most important tasks of the country.

Agricultural schools train a growing number of specialists an understanding of environmental protection.

Non-governmental organizations can effectively support environmental protection initiatives. There are several hundred NGOs in Lithuania concerned with the environment, but only few dozen of these are active. In 1995, NGOs signed a long-term agreement with the Ministry of Environment.

During the process of agricultural reform, four major organizations have emerged. The Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture is a traditional institution with roots in the pre-Soviet era which presents all agricultural production segments. The Lithuanian Farmers' Union is the major organization representing private farmers, which provides an advisory service and information. The Association of Farm Owners has a modest membership and influence. The Association of Agricultural Companies was formed by the successors to the former collective farms. There are many other smaller organizations - members of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture, including a new Dairy Farmers Association. Most of these associations were established after the regaining of independence and their political influence was relatively small during the period of 1991-1994. In 1994-1995, however, these groups, and especially agricultural producers, influenced the introduction of many new commodity support policies and subsidies provided to certain sectors.

The Ministry of the Environment informs NGOs as to its activities and documents prepared. It also prepares publications and provides the financial support for creating the NGO projects.

CONCLUSIONS

The report on the Present Environmental situation of Agriculture in Lithuania indicates the following tendencies:

• Weather, water, and soil are of good quality and progress has been made in improving it.
• The Establishment and development of the protected territories system is a great Lithuanian achievement.
• The basic laws on the environment satisfy the most important recommendations of the EU.

Basic measures for soil protection and the decrease of dispersed pollution must include the regulation of soil use, the increase of afforestation, and the application of harmless agriculture technologies.

The flow of rain with sewage, manure, smelt and float solid waste has not been cleaned. Therefore, one of the main measures of country environment has been cleaning of flow and waste.

One of the basic principles must be to differentiate between agricultural production and territorial agri-environmental measures, if we want to solve environmental problems in the rural areas.

The agricultural production surplus together with agricultural waste has become a big problem in Lithuania. These problems are common to the Western European countries too. The Common Agricultural Policy of the EU was revised and it has been decided to use agri-environmental schemes according to EU recommendations.

A National Agri-environmental Programme should include environmentally friendly farming, which reduces the negative impact of agricultural activities on the environment, restores ethnic landscape, increases biodiversity, and ensures normal economic and social living conditions for the rural population according to the Council Regulation 2078/92/EEC on agricultural production methods compatible with the requirements forthe protection of the environment and the maintenance of the countryside.

A balanced rural development policy should co-ordinate economic, social, environmental, and ethnocultural developments. It is important to solve these problems and endeavour to find a balance.

REFERENCES

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EEC. 1992. Council Regulation (EEC) No 2078/92 of 30 June 1992 on agricultural production methods compatible with the requirements of protection of the environment and maintenance of the countryside, OJ L 215.

European Commission (DG VI). 1998. Agricultural Situation and Prospects in the Central and Eastern European Countries, Lithuania, Working Document.

Fischler, F. 1995. CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) working notes, pp. 38-44, Bonn.

Kisieliauskas, A. 1998. Improved land and land reclamation equipment, emtvarka ir melioracija No. 2, p. 15, Vilnius.

Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania. 1999a. Agrienvironment protection programme for Lithuania (project), Vilnius.

Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania. 1999b. Rural support fund: documents regulating forming and order of usage of the Fund. Vilnius.

Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania. 1998. Annals of water quality1986-1997, United research centre, Vilnius.

Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania. 1999. Water quality annals of 1992 of Lithuanian rivers, p. 11,Vilnius.

State Land management institute. 1998. Formation of land resources information system for the long-term land use, Technical report, Vilnius.

Šileika, A. S., Gaigalis, K., Milius, P. & Kutra, G. 1998. Research of water pollution with nutrients in Graisupis river basin, Vandens kio ininerija. Volume 4 (26), Vilainai.

Šileika, A.S. 1997. Prevention measures for reduction of diffuse source pollution from agriculture, Recommendations, pp. 4-9,Vilainai.

UNDP. 1998. Lithuanian human development report, Vilnius, 1998.