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Last changed: 7/02/12
Gaseous ammonia harms ecosystems and is mainly generated from agricultural sources. A study commissioned to KTBL e.V. by UBA demonstrates that mitigation of agricultural emissions is feasible and may even lead to cost savings for farmers. For example, a protein-adjusted diet for fattening pigs reduces both nitrogen excretion and feed costs. The study presents a number of relevant measures, offers a cost-benefit analysis and thus provides policymakers and practitioners with useful input.
The upcoming round of European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform talks will include the Agriculture Commission (KLU) at the Federal Environment Agency. The Commission is calling for a “greening” of EU agricultural policy. Subsidies for the sector an annual 57 billion euros in public funding – are to be made more conditional on environmental protection requirements with regard to water, climate, air and biodiversity.
Since copper as a heavy metal is non-degradable, repeated and long-term application of copper fungicides results in the accumulation of copper in soil. This report reviews existing studies on the effects of copper accumulation on soil organisms as observed in the laboratory and in the field. The report accentuates UBA’s fundamental concern to the use of copper fungicides in plant protection.
The
German Federation of Hobby Gardeners (Bundesverband Deutscher Gartenfreunde
e.V. - BDG) received a grant from the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA)
to host a series of seminars aimed at expert advisers on subjects currently
relevant to allotment gardens. At the third event in the series,
Dr. Achim Friedrich, member of the BDG steering committee and host of
the environmental seminar, and Dr. Dietrich Schulz of the Federal Environment Agency welcomed 54 participants in Dessau-Roßlau. On the agenda this time
was fertilization, plant protection, and ecology in the allotment garden. With
all due respect to environmental protection, hobby gardeners want and
are also entitled to harvesting something! How can the aims of
ecology and fruit-growing be harmonized? Scientific and practical
experts gave talks on the subject. One unscheduled side effect was an
excursion to the world famous Dessau-Roßlau-Wörlitz Gardens during which
gardeners also got an impression of the recent flooding around Dessau-Roßlau.
What impact does agriculture have on soil, water, air, the climate, and biological diversity? You can find answers to this question in the key facts and figures presented in the brochure “Environment and Agriculture”, published in our series “Data on the Environment”. Graphs, maps and tables illustrate existing interrelationships and provide a basis for the debate about greater environmental protection in agriculture.
The main route by which veterinary medicinal products reach the environment is land-spreading of manure. Further research is needed to clarify the behaviour of the products’ active substances in manure, where they are transported to from the soil surface and what effects they exert there. A study commissioned by UBA has therefore gathered information on manure properties and storage conditions. The ultimate goal is the development of realistic guidelines for assessing the environmental behaviour of veterinary medicinal products and biocides.
The
aim of the research project jointly sponsored by the Federal Ministry
of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection (BMELV) and the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) is to produce a systematic
comprehensive description and assessment of the state of the art in animal
farming techniques. To this end, 136 animal husbandry techniques
currently practiced in the raising of pigs, beef, poultry, and horses
were described and evaluated in terms of their environmental impact and
animal welfare as well as in consideration of their economic aspects.
The first nationwide evaluation of soil data to derive the vulnerability of subsoils to compaction has been carried out in a research project sponsored by UBA. 30% of our agricultural crop land is so susceptible to compaction that the pressure from agricultural machinery is likely to have a lasting impact on soil all the way into subsoils.
The
final report of this research project documents the distribution and
production volume in the concerned branches of industry as well as production
processes, inputs/outputs of materials, type of added auxiliary materials
and emissions into water, air, and waste heat. Pertinent energy
consumption is also identified. Emissions values in these sectors
are compared to limit values valid in Germany. Best available techniques
in the selected branches are described in detail and further illustrated
by examples of BAT in other EU countries.