Finland's nutrient abatement techniques 'not enough'

New research has found that current efforts to control the load of nitrogen and phosphorus that enters the Baltic Sea from Finland due to agriculture are not sufficient. Around half of the country's contribution to the levels of phosphorous and nitrogen that enter the sea are due to agricultural practices, prompting efforts to better control agricultural releases and so improve water quality. However, a new doctoral study has found that current efforts are not doing enough to reach reduction targets. 

Nutrient abatement efforts within agriculture in Finland have been found to be insufficient to meet targets by Janne Helin, MTT Agrifood Research Finland. In a dissertation Mr Helin looked into the costs and effectiveness of the current means that are employed by agriculture in an effort to decrease Finland's nutrient load. 

The study looked at economic analysis, the types of efforts that are made on the fields and also abatement options, such as feeding changes at dairy farms. It used numerical models that were based on microeconomic theory in order to calculate the effects of the different measures that were looked at within crop farming and animal husbandry.

It was found that the cost of the different methods varied depending on environmental factors, the level of abatement, the production sector and the market situation. While the implementation of permanent plant cover on areas that are sensitive to erosion is one of the cheapest options for agriculture to undertake, this method is not enough to attain the targets set for nutrient abatement.

"Furthermore, filter strips and buffer zones have already been set up at the most vulnerable locations through the environmental subsidy system, so nutrient abatement will not be as easy in the future," Mr Helin explained. 

Current practices have failed to meet the national abatement targets and have not been able to work within the timetable that is outlined by the EU Water Framework Directive. However, the dairy farming technique of reducing artificial fertiliser use and increasing grassland areas has proven to be successful and economically viable.