1. A significant body of scientific studies have firmly established the key role played by fallow habitats within intensively farmed landscape for the conservation of biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem functions.
2. One type of fallow habitat, mandatory set-aside, was an element of the EU Common Agriculture Policy between the 1980’s and 2007. While set-aside was not always optimal for wildlife, it provided some biodiversity benefits and helped to maintain fallow within the farmed landscape.
3. Since 2007, the zero-rate and subsequent abolition of the set-aside scheme and an increased demand for food and bioenergy have led to widespread reduction in the area of land not planted with commercial crops in most EU member states.
4. A few EU member states have attempted to offset the loss of set-aside, and other land brought into cultivation due to economic pressures, by introducing mitigation measures designed to deliver high ecological quality habitat providing at least equivalent benefits. However, there has been no systematic pan-European attempt to address this loss.

5. Without mitigation, the increase in the amount of land under cultivation is likely:

   I. to have adverse impacts on farmland wildlife, including birds, butterflies and arable plants, many of which are already declining and threatened,

   II. to be a contributory factor for Europe’s failure to meet its pledge to halt the decline of biodiversity by 2010,

   III. to have direct negative impact on farming itself, for example through the loss of pollinating insects and decline of native biological control agents.

The symposium participants expressed their deep concern and disappointment at:

a. the progressive loss of non-cropped habitat from Europe’s farmed landscape

b. the EU decision to abolish the set-aside scheme, without the support of robust environmental impact assessment

c. the lack of any systematic attempt by the EU to mitigate the loss of set-aside by alternative means of delivering high ecological quality habitat providing at least equivalent benefits

d. taxpayers’ funds being used to compensate farmers for income loss linked to set-aside, which has been maintained as pure income support unlinked to any public goods delivery.

e. the abolition of the EU set-aside scheme may be followed by other countries where similar mechanisms serve as a main measure to protect natural habitats (e.g. Brazil), leading to the rapid degradation of natural habitats throughout the world

And call upon the European Commission and all EU Member States to:

a. take urgent action to protect remaining high ecological value fallows and to mitigate the loss of set-aside by using the tools currently available in the CAP to create habitat providing at least equivalent benefits

b. research measures that provide alternatives to the set-aside scheme, using solutions most suitable to local sustainable farming methods

c. introduce the most effective measures to retain and expand the biodiversity benefits delivered by traditional fallows and ecological compensation habitats in the context of a deep and far reaching reform of the CAP.

For more information contact Dr Tony Morris at tony.morris@rspb.org.uk