CONFERENCE
Agriculture, Fertilizers and Climate Change 12 February 2009 Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Brussels
FEED THE WORLD TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE Conference Booklet - Agenda - Speaker biographies
WELCOME
Agriculture, Fertilizers and Climate Change We have the great pleasure in inviting you to the ‘Agriculture, Fertilizers and Climate Change’ conference, hosted by the European Fertilizer Manufacturers Association (EFMA). The ability of the agricultural industry to supply a global population expected to grow by 50% by 2050 is now a real issue. Europe, despite a limited land area, has climatic conditions that will continue to make it a key contributor to production. Further investment will be required to develop agricultural practices that combine increased productivity, with consideration for the environment throughout the whole EU farming community and associated industries. Whilst highly productive, agriculture represents 9% of European GHG emissions, of which N2O emitted from soils represents 50%. The challenge is to manage our contribution better by helping farmers reduce their emissions per unit of production and reduce the emissions from fertilizer manufacture. At the same time we are also challenged to contribute to
increasing output to global food supply in conditions where climate change itself may well limit production in the years ahead. The fertilizer industry is already rising to these challenges through increased efficiency, reducing emissions during fertilizer manufacture and as a result of enhanced agronomic advice, on farm. 48% of the current world population are fed thanks to the use of mineral fertilizers. Conversely, fertilizer production and use represents a ‘modest’ 2.2% of total GHG emissions in the EU 27. However, the EU fertilizer industry is committed to further improve this position and feels it has a fundamental role, and should take the lead, in addressing the key issues of feeding the world, together with tackling climate change. We believe success will depend on participation from all industry partners. This conference will play an important part in the success of our mission.r:
AM
PM 13.00
Challenges for EU farmers
Farmers and Climate Change: Producing more food in a more sustainable way, Peter Kendall, COPA, Vice President
0900
Opening by Chairman
Roger Waite, Agra Facts, Editor
09.15
Introduction
A productive EU agriculture supported by a strong EU fertilizer industry can help address the key global challenges: limiting Climate Change while responding to an accelerated increase of the demand for food and energy. Renso Zwiers, EFMA, President.
09.30
Keynote speakers
Feeding the world population and fighting poverty with mineral fertilizers Shivaji Pandey, FAO, Director AGP
Fertilizer production - Leading industry in GHG mitigation Arend Werner, BASF SE, Group Vice President
More Food, Feed, Fibre, and Energy, can EU agriculture meet the challenge Neil Parish, MEP, Chairman Agriculture Committee
Developing and promoting Good Agricultural Practice for GHG mitigation in agriculture Joachim Lammel, YARA, Director Agronomic Services
11.00
Feeding the world and addressing Climate Change
Fertilizers and Climate Change Tor Holba, EFMA Deputy President
Global Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential in Agriculture Pete Smith, University of Aberdeen, UK
12.00 12.00 Buffet Buffet Lunch Lunch
Integrated Farm management, the appropriate response
14.00
Fertilizer and integrated environmental management - The EFMA response
Philip Huxtable, IFM farmer, UK
15.30
EU Policies and actions to protect the environment
The environmental policy context in EU Michael Hamell, DG Environment
Integrated approach of nitrogen management Jan Willem Erisman, ECN, The Netherlands
Conclusions
A call from EFMA to “join forces” to build an environmentally sensitive and productive future for EU agriculture. Esa Härmälä, EFMA, Director General
Roger Waite - Conference Chairman Agra Facts, Editor
Having been writing about the CAP in Brussels for 17 years, Roger is best known as the editor of the 2 Brussels-based publications on the Common Agricultural Policy, AGRA FACTS and AGRA FOCUS, which he co-founded in the autumn of 1995. In just over 13 years, AGRA FACTS in particular has established a reputation for accuracy, reliability and being first with the news in Brussels – and it is now the most widely read newsletter on the C.A.P. in Brussels, also having subscribers in 35 different countries. In addition to this, Roger is a regular contributor to BBC and RTE radio programmes on agricultural policy and EU farm issues in the UK & Ireland, and speaks at Conferences and Seminars on CAP issues several times a year. In 2008, he was named as a Journalist fellow of the German Marshall Fund – writing a regular column with comment on CAP issues. Originally from London, Roger obtained his degree in European Studies from University in Northern Ireland, and worked in Germany for 2 years before stumbling into journalism, first as an editorial assistant in England and, from 1991, as a Brussels correspondent for Agra Europe. Married with 4 children, he is fluent in French and German.
A productive EU agriculture supported by a strong EU fertilizer industry It is essential that on the journey to reduced green house gas emissions and a low carbon economy, the strategic role of mineral fertilizers for citizens’ well being and mankind is fully recognized. Without the industrial fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere, the world would support almost 50% less people than the population of today. No other product is as life essential as nitrogen in fertilizers! The strategic importance of food and the maintenance and further development of food production capacity has been highlighted by the recent turmoil in the world food markets. Europe should stay sufficiently self reliant in food production, and consequently in the supply of the
main farm inputs. This means that Europe should not endanger the existence of its own fertilizer production. Fertilizer dependency of Europe on external sources like Russia, North Africa or the Middle East must be avoided. In the absence of a binding international agreement on global green house gas reductions, emission trading should not become such a burden for the European industry that it looses its competitiveness. No part of the agro-food chain can face and solve the complex set of global food, development or environmental problems alone. Partnership and common approaches are needed.
Renso Zwiers
President (CEO), DSM Agro President, EFMA Vice President for West and Central Europe, IFA Mr Renso Zwiers has a master degree in Polymer Chemistry from the State University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Mr Zwiers worked the first 10 years of his career at Philips, where he, after starting in Research, had several managerial functions in Research, Technology & Innovation. Since 1992 he has been active for DSM mainly in General Management positions, leading polymers and commodity business, often in successful DSM Joint Ventures. In 2003, Mr Zwiers became President (CEO) of DSM Agro. Mr Zwiers was appointed President of EFMA in December 2007. He has previously held other positions within EFMA as Chairman of the Trade & Economics Policy Committee as well as Chairman of the Gas Task Force. Next to the position of EFMA President he holds the position of International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) , VicePresident for West and Central Europe.
Feeding the World Population and Fighting Poverty with Mineral Fertilizers The number hungry and malnourished in the world rose to 963 M in 2008 from 842 M in 1990-92 when the World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals of halving hunger and poverty by 2015 were declared. Clearly, we are not headed in the right direction. More recently, FAO’s Food Price Index rose from about 110 in September of 2007 to 215 in July of 2008. It has been estimated that an increase of 33% in food prices lowers the standards of living in developing countries by 20% and in the developed world by 3%. Thus, the impact of the rise in food prices on the standard of living and hunger and poverty in developing countries has been huge! Approximately 75% of the world’s hungry and poor live in rural areas and derive their livelihoods from agriculture. The answer to alleviating hunger and poverty and protecting the standard of living of the majority of the global population lies in accelerating agricultural growth. Unfortunately, globally the rate of growth in agricultural productivity has been declining: it is expected to fall to 1.5% over the next decades and further to 0.9% in the succeeding 20 years to 2050, compared with 2.3% per year since 1961. The per capita availability of agricultural land is also projected to decline from about 4.3 ha in
1960 to about 1.5 ha in 2050. Significant declines are projected on the availability of another essential natural resource for agriculture - water. At the same time, the world must double its food production by 2050 to meet the needs of its growing population projected to be at 9.2 billion. It is inconceivable that the world can meet this growing demand for food, feed and fibre without judicious use of inputs, especially fertilizers. In recent times, about 50 percent increase in food production has been credited to mineral fertilizer use and fertilizers will continue to be the key to future development of agriculture, food security, poverty reduction and nutritional security. Unfortunately, fertilizer use in the majority of food insecure countries is low and serious efforts are required at the national and regional levels for developing appropriate policies, technologies and capacities to address this challenge. These same policies must also ensure that soil fertility is not mined and abuse and misuse of fertilizers that can cause serious damage to ecosystems and to sustainability of production are avoided.
Shivaji Pandey
Director, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO, Rome Born and raised in India, where he also had his early education before obtaining his MS and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin, USA. Professor Pandey worked for over 30 years in international agricultural research and development, serving as a scientist, Regional Representative for South America, Director of Maize Program, and Director of African Livelihoods Program at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico and in its outreach programs. In 2005, he joined the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as Director of Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS). In 2006, he was appointed Director of Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP) at FAO, to lead work on increasing production and quality of all food and non-food crops to enhance food security and livelihoods especially of rural as well as urban poor. The work of the Division involves conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, seed production, development and deployment of improved cultivars, use of appropriate agronomic practices, cropping
systems, conservation agriculture, organic farming, and integrated pest management among others. International Treaties and Commissions such as ITPGRFA (International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture), GPA (Global Plan of Action), IPPC (International Plant Protection Commission), International Code of Conduct on Pesticides, and Rotterdam Convention also form parts of the Division’s work. Chairs the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Biotechnology at FAO which integrates research, development, and policy work on biotechnology of the Organization for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Honors and awards include D. Sc. from the Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (India), Fellowship to the American Society of Agronomy, Fellowship to the Crop Science Society of America, and special recognitions from the governments of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Vietnam. He has authored or co-authored over 150 publications.
Neil Parish
Member of the European Parliament Chairman Agriculture Committee Neil was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the South West in June 1999. Local Government has featured strongly in Neil's political career and he has served as Parish, District and County Councillor in Somerset. He cut his political teeth in South Wales in 1997 when he contested Pontypool. In December 2001, Neil was appointed Conservative spokesman on agriculture and on animal welfare. In the Parliament, Neil is the Chairman of the agriculture and rural development committee and he also sits on the fisheries committee. He also chairs the European Parliament's Animal Welfare Intergroup. In 2002, Neil was instrumental in setting up the year long European Parliament's public Inquiry into the Foot and Mouth Outbreak. Before entering politics, Neil managed the family farm in Somerset. In the summer Neil will leave the European Parliament and focus on UK politics. He is the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Tiverton and Honiton, in the county of Devon.
Fertilizers and Climate Change: key facts Mineral plant nutrients are natural and essential constituents of crops. The agricultural harvest contains plant nutrients, which are removed from the field. Mineral fertilizers are needed to replace those nutrients. Furthermore, the growing global demand for food, feed and fuel increases the crop demand for mineral nutrients. Today, the use of mineral fertilizers is responsible for feeding about 50% of the total world population. Agriculture accounts for 26% of the total manmade greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, in which land use change accounts for 12%. This conversion of natural land into cropland is a major source of agricultural GHG emissions. Hence, a further extension of agricultural land should be kept at a minimum level. This is only possible by more efficient utilization of existing farmland, which includes good agricultural practices.
In Europe such practices are already common standard and forests act as a significant GHG sink. On the contrary, an extensification of agriculture with the consequence of deforestation would release substantial amounts of GHGs. The most relevant sources of agricultural GHGs in Europe are nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). Man-made N2O emissions come from soil applied nitrogen and fertilizer production, CH4 from cattle. Through technological innovation of the industry, N2O emissions from fertilizer production can be reduced by 70-90%. Consequently, soil emissions of N2O resulting from farming practice will become even more important and shall be the focus of future mitigation efforts.
Tor Holba
Head of Upstream segment, YARA Deputy President EFMA Mr. Holba has served as Senior Vice President, Upstream since October 2006. He was Senior Vice President, Downstream from 2003 until 2006. He has held numerous positions in Hydro since 1981. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain Management, from 2000 to 2001, he acted as President of Trevo, from 1998 to 2000, he served as head of Business Unit Latin America, from 1993 to 1997, he worked as President of Hydro Agri Mexico, and from 1991 to 1993, he was employed as Regional Marketing Director for Asia and Managing Director of Hydro (Far East) Ltd. Mr. Holba was educated at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, receiving a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Global Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential in Agriculture Agricultural lands occupy about 40-50% of the Earth’s land surface. Agricultural practices can make a significant contribution at low cost to increasing soil carbon sinks, reducing GHG emissions, and contributing biomass feedstocks for energy use. Considering all gases, the global technical mitigation potential from agriculture (excluding fossil fuel offsets from biomass) by 2030 is estimated to be ~5500-6000 Mt CO2-eq. yr-1. Economic potentials are estimated to be 1500-1600, 2500-2700, and 4000-4300 Mt CO2-eq. yr-1 at carbon prices of up to 20, 50 and 100 US$ t CO2eq.-1, respectively About 70% of the potential lies in non-OECD/EIT countries, 20% in OECD countries and 10% for EIT countries. In the long-term (post2050), climate change may affect the mitigation potential of soil carbon sinks but the direction and magnitude of this effect is uncertain.
Agricultural mitigation options are cost competitive with mitigation options in other sectors. Agriculture shows similar potential to forestry, industry and energy supply and has higher potential than the transport and waste sectors. There is no universallyapplicable list of mitigation practices; practices need to be evaluated for individual agricultural systems and settings. In addition, agriculture can supply feed-stocks for bio-energy. The economic mitigation potential for agricultural bio-energy in 2030 is estimated to be 70-1260, 560-2320 and 2720 Mt CO2-eq. yr-1 at prices up to 20, 50 and above 100 USD t CO2-eq.-1, respectively. These potentials represent mitigation of 5-90% of all other agricultural mitigation measures combined. An additional mitigation of 770 Mt CO2eq. yr-1 could be achieved by 2030 by improved energy efficiency in agriculture.
Pete Smith
Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Science, University of Aberdeen Pete Smith is the Royal Society-Wolfson Professor of Soils & Global Change in the Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. His main areas of expertise are in modelling greenhouse gas / carbon mitigation, bio-energy for fossil fuel offsets, and biological carbon sequestration. He has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals and many more book chapters. He has served in various capacities for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) over the last decade, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work in 2007, most recently as Convening Lead Author of IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, WGIII - Chapter 8 on agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation.
Farmers and Climate Change: Producing more food in a more sustainable way Agriculture is the sector most threatened by climate change as farmers are fully dependant on climatic conditions: extreme weather conditions, increasing variability of seasonality bringing new plant and animal diseases. This could lead to a contraction of grain production in a context where, now more than ever, there is a clear need to produce more at world level. This, combined with a current situation where grain prices are well below the costs of production and input costs such as fertilisers have skyrocketed, put the farming sector under huge pressure. Copa – Cogeca members are committed to improving the resilience of their activities to climate change so as to continue to supply consumers with high quality food produced to high environmental and safety standards. European farmers and European agri-cooperatives want to work with the entire food supply chain, in particular the fertilizer industry, and other stakeholders to combat climate change. Copa – Cogeca does not believe that a reduction in GHG emissions from EU agriculture which jeopardises the competitiveness and productivity
of European farmers and hence the food supply is a sustainable solution. The risk of delocalization of EU agricultural production and processing is high. It is therefore necessary to reconcile economic constraints and market developments with efforts in both mitigating and adapting to climate change. Comprehensive, effective early response cannot be reduced to a one-track approach, but must of course be two-pronged with adaptation measures complementary to mitigation policy. Farming can be part of the solution to climate change. It can sequester carbon in soils and biomass, thus providing the potential to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions. European agriculture delivers substantial GHG reductions through the potential for production of bioenergy, which substitutes society’s use of fossil fuels and oil-derived products, and has effective mitigation possibilities, such as improving manure and nutrient use in accordance with regional specificities.
See our Declaration for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan – “Agriculture to combat Climate Change » : http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/img/user/file/EN_2008_12_9/6959_f.pdf
Peter Kendall,
COPA, Vice President Peter Kendall farms in Eyeworth, East Bedfordshire, in partnership with his brother Richard. 620 hectares of combinable crops are grown on the home farm and contracting and rental agreements are also operated with four local farmers. The farm has changed over the last ten years from a very traditional mixed farm to a totally arable unit. Peter took a degree in Agricultural Economics at Nottingham University, before returning to the family business in 1984. He was Chairman of NFU Cereals in 2003, before becoming Deputy President in 2004 and President in 2006, and is also a Vice-President of the European farm organisation, COPA. Peter sits on a variety of bodies in the UK and Europe, including The Sustainable Food and Farming Leadership Group and the IGD’s Policy Issues Group. At the top of his list of priorities is ensuring that the growing importance of agriculture and horticulture to food security and climate change are not only recognised by the Government, but reflected in its policies affecting farming right across the board. But he sees moving all sectors towards sustainable profitability as also being vitally important.
Integrated farm management, the appropriate response. JSR’s cropped area in East Yorkshire covers an area of 3,500ha of which some 3,000ha is farmed in a 6 year rotation. Within the context of this paper, I shall refer only to our arable farms and those pig units located within the arable operation. IFM is a combination of responsible farming practices, balancing the economic production of crops with measures that conserve and enhance the environment. It is the best of traditional techniques (e.g. rotation) with the latest proven technology (e.g. precision farming). An excellent example of utilising one’s own resources, is the synergy between the arable and pig businesses. Pigs require wheat for their dietary
needs and straw as bedding. In return Pigs supply manure and slurry as organic fertiliser minimising the purchase of inorganic fertilisers. Current legislation (e.g. NVZ’s and IPPC) focus the mind in not only how to address these challenges but to turn them to the farmer’s advantage, as will be covered in the presentation. At JSR we have the people, the resources and the determination to arrange the diverse elements of a farming system into a coherent whole. We are proud of our ability to produce safe food from a large scale farming operation, using modern technology, whilst enhancing the environment.
Philip Huxtable (MBPR Agric) IFM farmer, UK Philip joined JSR Farms Ltd direct from Seale-Hayne Agricultural College in August 1976 as technical assistant to the rapidly expanding arable business. He was appointed as a Director to the main JSR Farming Group Board in October 1989, whilst continuing to develop his role as Technical Director to JSR Arable Farms. In addition to this role, Philip was appointed as Property Director for the Group in September 2002, to create and develop the separate business area of JSR Property. Philip also advises on and formulates the JSR policy on environmental legislation issues, including being a LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) demonstration farm and has recently been instrumental in the setting up of RAPS (Recovered Agricultural Plastics Scheme) to cope with the Agricultural Waste Regulations. Other JSR duties include being Company Secretary to JSR Genetics Ltd, a global player and one of the world’s leading pig genetics houses. Outside of JSR he is a director of Renewable Energy Growers Ltd, the leading producer group of energy crops in the UK. Philip describes his many roles as “very varied and always challenging!”
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EFMA ammonia plants are amongst the most energy efficient worldwide�.
Fertilizer production leading industry in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The European fertilizer industry, within EFMA, operates ammonia plants with CO2 emissions of approx. 18 mill t and nitric acid plants with N2O emissions which are equivalent to CO2 emissions of approx. 33 mill t (2005). EFMA ammonia plants are amongst the most energy efficient worldwide. Further improvements on existing ammonia plants are only incremental, because the CO2 generation is inherent in the processes employed. In the case of nitric acid plants, 2 proven N2O abatement technologies exist with high reduction potential. But taking into account the large variety of nitric acid process technologies in existing plants, not all plants will achieve the same level of benefit. Using the emission levels defined as Best Available Technique (BAT) in the EU BATREF document from 2006 for existing ammonia and nitric acid plants, a reduction of CO2 emissions of 9% for ammonia plants and N2O emissions of approx. 70% for nitric acid plants, seems to be possible up to 2020. With this proposal, the European fertilizer industry could deliver more than 30% reduction of its GHG emissions.
Dr. Arend Werner
BASF SE, Group Vice President Dr. Werner grew up on a farm in Northern Germany. He studied physics and started working for BASF in 1982. He was first engaged in BASF’s research, investigating new kinds of magnetic recording media. He then became plant manager of the sulfuric acid plants in Ludwigshafen and later on was responsible for other plants too. After that he became production manager of an oil refinery, part of the Wintershall group, a 100% subsidiary of BASF. In 2000 he returned to Ludwigshafen, where he was in charge of the unit, which is responsible for Process Safety for the BASF Group worldwide. He then moved on to become responsible for the production unit “chlorine and related products” at Ludwigshafen. Since, April 2005, Dr. Werner has assumed responsibility for the European Fertilizer Business of BASF, as Group Vice President, and serves as the chairman of the Technical Committee TESC within EFMA.
Developing and promoting Good Agricultural practice for GHG mitigation in agriculture Agriculture contributes about 9% of the European GHG emissions, of which N2O emitted from soils represents 50 %.
therefore difficult to control. The most appropriate way for agriculture to reduce N2O emissions is to increase nitrogen use efficiency.
N2O is generated as a “by-product� of microbiological activities in the soil, that convert ammonium into nitrate (nitrification) or nitrate into nitrogen gas N2 (dinitirification). Both processes are influenced and controlled by environmental conditions. They are independent of the origin of the mineral nitrogen whether from organic fertilizer, mineral fertilizers or soil organic matter.
As a result of agricultural research, European legislation and initiatives from the European fertilizer industry to promote good fertilizer management practices. In Europe the efficient use of nitrogen has increased, by 45%, since 1985. Today European agriculture produces more crops with less nitrogen fertilizer than 20 years ago. In Europe the nitrogen use efficiency has reached the highest level in the world.
The IPCC estimates that on average the direct N2O emissions from any nitrogen input to the soil are 1% of the application rate. N2O emissions are the consequence of natural processes in the soil and
The European fertilizer industry, however, is committed to support agriculture to further increase nitrogen use efficiency and to reduce GHG emissions.
Dr. Joachim Lammel
YARA, Director Agronomic Services Dr Lammel obtained a Ph.D. in Plant Nutrition from the University of GieĂ&#x;en, Germany From 1985 to 1990 Federal Agricultural Research Centre of Germany. Since 1991 Research Center for Plant Nutrition and Environmental Research of Yara International and since 2000 Head of all Product and Application related R&D for Yara International. Product and Application Research in Yara focuses on the development of improved fertilizer management strategies to help growers achieve a better crop yield and improved nutrient use efficiency. Yara international organizes research projects on crop nutrition in more than 30 countries across the world.
The environmental policy context in the EU The task facing the world of reducing dramatically its greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible is daunting.
and soil are all in need of protection. Retaining our natural resources for future generations is imperative – if we indeed value these generations.
The task of feeding the world's population in the long term is also daunting and will be made immeasurably more difficult if we do not reduce climate change. While working towards this goal, we must nevertheless recall that water, biodiversity
EU agricultural and environmental policy is increasingly designed in this way and needs to be respected. The climate and energy package agreed in December 2008 is a step along the long road of redressing climate change.
Michael Hamell
DG Environment, Head of Unit Michael Hamell has worked for the European Commission since 1983 and is currently Head of the unit "Agriculture, Forests and Soil" within the Directorate General responsible for the Environment . This unit is responsible for environmental integration issues with respect to both the first and second pillars of the CAP, for the implementation of the Nitrates directive, for EU internal environmental policy related to forestry and for the EU's soil strategy presented to the European Parliament and Council in 2006. Michael worked in DG Agriculture during the period 1983-1997 in the "Beef and Sheep" Markets division with responsibilities for sheep policy and trade issues and for technical aspects of beef production. Prior to this, he worked for ten years as a farm manager, lecturer and specialist agricultural adviser with the Irish Department of Agriculture. He holds a Master's Degree in Agriculture from University College Dublin.
Integrated Approach of Nitrogen Management A hundred years ago Fritz Haber filed his patent for the 'ammonia production from its elements'. This was the start of large scale ammonia and fertilizer production and use. Almost half of the people living on our planet consume food produced because of the availability of fertilizer. The down side to this is that extensive fertilizer use is creates the loss of reactive nitrogen to the environment causing a range of environmental problems amongst others eutrophication, greenhouse gas emission, biodiversity loss, water and air pollution. Reactive nitrogen cascades through the environment contributing to these issues, sequential over time, until it is fixed.
There are several activities that address the reactive nitrogen issues, on the one hand assessing the state of knowledge as is done in the European Nitrogen Assessment and on the other hand working towards development and implementation of measures and policies to combat nitrogen pollution in the recently established Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen under the UNECE Convention on Lang-Range Transport of Air Pollution. This presentation will focus on our current views on integrated approaches of nitrogen management that are needed to abate nitrogen and GHG emissions in agriculture.
Jan Willem Erisman, ECN, The Netherlands
Jan Willem Erisman has a background in environmental research, especially the atmosphere – biosphere exchange of gases and aerosols related to acidification and eutrophication and climate change, both scientific as well as policy development and evaluation studies. Recently work has focused on optimizing food production and energy use while minimizing the environmental impacts from increased nitrogen cycling. For three years he was unit manager of Clean Fossil Fuels, managing research on hydrogen production from fossil fuels, hydrogen storage and concepts for a hydrogen economy, CO2 capture technologies, environmental emission reduction technologies and environmental research. Since 2006 he has been head of the unit Biomass, Coal and Environmental research, managing about 70 scientists working in the field of environmental research, research on biomass pre-treatment and conversion technologies, liquid and gaseous products from biomass and environmental reduction technologies.
EFMA - KEY FACTS Fertilizers are needed to feed the world. Agricultural land must be used in the most efficient way, to protect wildlife, water and minimize climate change. Fertilizers, used correctly, will contribute to solving climate change. Europe has today the most efficient production plants and the most modern agriculture New climate change regulations must consider emissions from production as well as from agriculture – the ‘life-cycle’ of fertilizers Costly regulations will lead to carbon leakage and dependency of fertilizers from other regions
Esa Härmälä,
EFMA, Director General A Finnish national, Mr Härmälä was previously President of The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners in Finland (MTK). He has a Masters degree in Agriculture and an impressive career in Finland within the government as well as in the private sector. Esa Härmälä was the EC accession negotiator for Agriculture and Fisheries within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the midnineties, and was based in Brussels during the mid-eighties while working as Counsellor for Agriculture and Fisheries at the Finnish Mission to the European Communities. In 1982 Esa graduated from Helsinki university with an M.Sc in Agriculture. He is married with three children.
CORE VALUES Responsible
Sustainable Delivery of Value
Free and Fair Trade Ethical
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Core Values
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The mission of the European fertilizer industry is to respond to the needs of agriculture and society by providing, in accordance with the principles of Responsible Care, a reliable and competitive supply of highquality mineral fertilizers. The industry encourages, moreover, the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices in the use of plant nutrients, thus stimulating farmers and growers to produce high-quality crops in an economically and environmentally sound manner. The mission of EFMA is to identify, promote and manage the common interests of its members by:
• promoting the role of mineral fertilizers in European agriculture and horticulture;
• anticipating and preparing for upcoming issues that may affect the industry;
• being the industry’s spokesperson and sounding board;
• providing its members with a wide range of statistical information and studies.
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