Sustainable agriculture and fisheries are focal points when the Ministry of Food provides environmental assistance to former Communist countries in the Baltic region. In cooperation with the countries' central agricultural authorities, a range of projects have been realised in recent years, which are aimed at ensuring better utilisation of animal manure and limiting agricultural use of fertiliser and pesticides (plantprotection products).

Activities leave their marks

In the efforts to curb the use of fertiliser, assistance has been granted to a range of projects aimed at ensuring correct storage and use of animal manure. In addition, assistance has been given for setting up of fertiliser schedules, adaptation of crop rotation schemes and seasonally correct application of animal manure.
As to curbing the use of plant protection products, the primary need was to bolster farmers' knowledge on correct use of the substances, e.g. through a new certification system for professional spraying training. Simultaneously, a well-functioning control system was set up to enable testing of individual substances. Such activities also comprise the authorisation of new plant protection products and a strengthening of the laboratories in charge of control of any pesticide remains in foods and fodder. Several projects also focused on the implementation of the PC plant protection system, a computer-based warning system aimed at ensuring that the most environmentally friendly substance is used in the smallest possible dosages in a given situation.

Future challenges

The future poses a range of challenges to the food sector. The Ministry may provide assistance to projects minimising the application of pesticides, ensuring improved utilisation of animal manure and supporting the expansion of financially and environmentally sustainable farming. In terms of fisheries, the Ministry may assist projects promoting sustainable fisheries and ensuring improvements in the fisheries industry.

Additional information

Information on the Ministry of Food’s sector programme is available from:

Danish Directorate for Development
East Assistance Office
Toldbodgade 31
DK-1253 Copenhagen K
Tel.: +45 33 63 73 00
www.strukdir.dk

The Directorate for Development and the EU Directorate will be merged on 1 April 2000.
The new address of the Directorate will subsequently be available from the Ministry of Food,
tel. + 45 33 92 33 01 or on
www.fvm.dk.

Improved food control in Poland and the Baltic States

Efficient food control cannot be taken for granted – neither in Eastern and Central Europe. Consequently, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland the Ministry of Food has provided assistance to projects to ensure that – at a range of laboratories – chemists are able to perform analyses for residue concentrations of, e.g., pesticides in water, soil and foods. The project was realised by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences at Flakkebjerg and also comprised modernisation and installation of analysis equipment.

EU approximation

The Danish-supported projects were launched in early 1998. Until then, the Baltic and Polish analyses for pesticide residue were performed by a range of laboratories often lacking the necessary equipment and using obsolete analysis methods. Thus, one of the project objectives was to raise the quality of analyses to meet the EU standard and the quality level of the other Northern European countries. Consequently, the EU approximation was an essential element of the activities.

Assistance for courses and equipment

Financial and professional support were granted to training Baltic and Polish chemists in charge of analyses in the four countries. The training was scheduled at national, accredited laboratories in Norway, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, where the chemists acquired valuable understanding of analysis work, modern analysis equipment and methods. Total Danish assistance amounted to DKK 12.6m, of which DKK 5.8m went to purchase state-of-the-art equipment in the recipient countries, which granted a total of DKK 5.7m to co-finance the projects. Two laboratories in Estonia have already won DANAK accreditation. This means that they fulfil all official EU requirements to laboratories performing analyses for residue concentration. The laboratories in the other countries are expected to receive DANAK accreditation in the course of 2000/2001.

Partners

Ministries of agriculture in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia as well as local authorities in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg.

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Cooperation on sustainable agriculture and fisheries