Report from the Sub-committee on Agriculture

6. Present production in market gardening and fruit growing

6.1 Outdoor vegetables and garden seed
6.2 Fruit and berry growing
6.3 Nurseries
6.4 Greenhouse production
6.5 Conclusion

Production within this sector is very varied and covers many cultures. It has not been possible to cover all of them. Only conditions within the main cultures are discussed here.

High requirements concerning plant health

The requirements concerning plant health for market-garden cultures are generally high and are governed by the EU’s plant health directives, which indicate pests and levels of pests that cannot be accepted.

The quality standards for fruit and vegetables are given in the EU’s common organisation of the market for fruit and vegetables. So far, standards have been established for 34 products. The standards contain rules for minimum requirements concerning the products, classification, possible sorting by size and labelling. The minimum requirements are generally that:

	the products shall to all intents and purposes be free of pests
	the products shall to all intents and purpose be free of damage caused by pests
	the products shall be sound; products that have been attacked by rot or impaired to such an extent that they are unsuitable for consumption are excluded.

The supply of pesticides within market gardening is already relatively limited because some are not marketed any longer and/or have been withdrawn in connection with a review. There are therefore already some combinations of crops and pests for which approved agents are no longer marketed.

No statistics for pesticide consumption

There are no reliable studies indicating the pesticide consumption within market gardening. There is therefore considerable uncertainty concerning the exact consumption.

6.1 Outdoor vegetables and garden seed

The acreage used for production of outdoor vegetables in Denmark is 6,200 ha (1997). To this must be added 3,700 ha used for peas for freezing. Most of the Danish production of vegetables takes place at specialised farms, where vegetable production accounts for most of the farms’ turnover. Where production is part of ordinary arable farming, the vegetables are normally grown for sale to the industry, (Friis et al., 1998).

High establishment costs

Outdoor vegetables are a very intensive production that requires major investments – both general investments in irrigation systems and storage and refrigeration facilities, and special investments in machines for sowing and preparation. The establishment costs for the individual crops are much higher than those for arable crops. At harvest, the vegetables represent a value of DKK 30-100,000/ha. A considerable part of this goes to pay for labour in connection with harvesting and preparation for sale.

Production of garden seed

According to the garden seed industry, about 3,000 ha of land are used for vegetable seed and about 200 ha for flower seed. The acreage has been on the increase in recent years, particularly in the case of spinach. All garden seed is produced under contract between the farmer and one of Denmark’s three garden seed firms. Approximately 80% of the garden seed is produced for foreign firms, which make requirements concerning both supply security and quality. Garden seed is a production that forms part of ordinary arable farming because many years are needed between the garden-seed crops. The average acreage per unit for vegetable seed is somewhat greater than the average acreage per unit for flower seed. The reason for the smaller acreage with flower seed is a considerably higher manpower consumption in these crops. The average contribution margin for garden seed is about DKK 14,500/ha, which has to cover investments, labour and "land rent". A high contribution margin depends on high yields of high quality (Friis et al., 1998).

Generally speaking, pesticide consumption is higher in the production of outdoor vegetables and garden seed than in the production of most ordinary arable crops. The treatment frequency index is typically between 4 and 12, depending on the culture. Key figures for the production of outdoor vegetables are shown in table 6.1.

Table 6.1
Treatment frequency index (TFI), acreages, size of production (tonnes), value in mill. DKK and degree of self-sufficiency for the main outdoor vegetables in Denmark. The organic acreage is shown in brackets (Friis et al., 1998).

6.2 Fruit and berry growing

Present production

According to Danmarks Statistik, 7,300 ha of land were used for fruit and berry production in 1997. The acreage has been decreasing for a number of years.

Pomes are generally produced at specialised farms, while some production of blackcurrants, redcurrants, strawberries and sour cherries takes place at ordinary arable farms. The total Danish production gives around 50% self-sufficiency. Fruit and berries are quality products and there are common EU quality rules for them. Only products that comply with these quality rules may be sold in the shops. Basically, the products must be whole and sound (free of diseases and pests) and meet the size requirements (Lindhard et al., 1998).

Fruit and berries are a very intensive form of production. Big investments are required in machines and establishment, together with a high degree of specialisation. The establishment costs per ha are around DKK 100,000 for pomes and between DKK 10,000 and DKK 15,000 per ha for berry production.

Apples, strawberries and pears require most manpower, mainly because they are picked by hand. Almost all the production goes to direct consumption. Sour cherries and blackcurrants are industrial products and are harvested by machine.

The production of fruit and berries fluctuates greatly from year to year, depending on climatic variations, and earnings vary greatly because the prices are fixed on the basis of international supply. Table 6.2 shows key figures for the production.

Table 6.2
Treatment frequency index (TFI), acreages, size of production, value in DKK and degree of self-sufficiency for the largest fruit and berry productions in Denmark. The organic acreage is shown in brackets (Lindhard et al., 1998).

High level of pesticide consumption

Considerable use is made of pesticides in the present fruit and berry production. In particular, there is a considerable consumption of fungicides to keep fungal diseases down. For example, apples are commonly sprayed with fungicides 18 times during a growing season. The main reason for spraying so much is to keep down attacks of mildew, common scab and storage diseases, which affect the quality of the fruit (Lindhard et al., 1998). Unlike foreign fruit, Danish apples are not treated with pesticides after harvesting, nor are they waxed or lacquered (Anon., 1995).

Few pesticides

Six of 15 fungicides used in fruit and berry production have been banned in connection with a review. Since fungicides are by far the most commonly used agents in the fruit and berry sector, the ban on the six agents in question is having a serious effect on production. In connection with the review, the two most widely used fungicides (Captan and Fenarimol) have been banned since the 1998 season. This means that there are at present no effective agents against fruit-tree canker, grey mould in blackcurrants, redcurrants and raspberries, and mildew in strawberries.

6.3 Nurseries

Present production

Nurseries produce plants for fruit growing, hedgerows, forests, landscape care, gardens, parks and plantations. The plants are propagated from seed or cutting or by grafting and are grown to suitable size for planting out in a permanent place. There is a very large number of species, and many varieties of around 300 species are commonly cultivated (Brander et al., 1998).

Nursery cultures therefore differ greatly, which makes it difficult to generalise and to give exact figures for the present pesticide consumption. A culture such as Norman fir, for example, has few pests, whereas fruit trees have many and a correspondingly big consumption of pesticides.

The production value of nursery plants is estimated to be DKK 480 mill. per year (average of the last five years), of which DKK 100-150 mill. goes to export. Only limited information is available on the sector’s production of individual cultures; a cautious estimate is given in table 6.3. In all, there are 329 firms producing nursery cultures. Units are typically around 10 ha in size and 2,290 people are employed in the sector.

Pesticide consumption uncertain

It is not possible to give concrete figures for pesticide consumption within the nursery sector because consumption varies greatly from culture to culture, from year to year and from company to company. It is, however, substantial in all cultures. Consumption is small in the production of avenue trees, evergreens for gardens and conifers for forestry, medium in the production of deciduous trees for forestry and large for roses, fruit trees, fruit bushes and some ornamental plants. The treatment frequency indices given come from interviews with different producers and agricultural advisers. Most cultures are sprayed as needed when diseases and pests are beginning to develop, while some are sprayed more regularly to avoid serious diseases and pests (Brander et al., 1998).

Table 6.3
Treatment frequency index (TFI), production quantity, value in DKK and degree of self-sufficiency for the principal nursery cultures in Denmark. The treatment frequency index covers a full production process and not a single growing season.

*There is also a substantial export of these cultures.

6.4 Greenhouse production

Present production

Both vegetables and pot plants are very intensive productions with a high degree of specialisation. Production is spread over 780 units and a total greenhouse area of 512 ha. Arable farming in greenhouses comprises a very large number of cultures – both edible cultures and ornamental plants. The main edible cultures are tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce. Tomatoes constitute more than half of the total production (Danmarks Statistik, 1998). Within ornamental plants, more than 400 different cultures are grown.

Table 6.4
Acreages, size of production and value in DKK for the main greenhouse cultures in Denmark 1997.

*export, incl. field production

Use of biological control methods

Biological methods are very widely used for controlling pests in greenhouse vegetables. In these cultures, chemical agents are used mainly for prevention and control of diseases (grey mould, mildew, etc.). Slightly less than 20% of the farms use only biological methods, while around 50% use a combination of chemical and biological control (Anon., 1998).

0-tolerance pests

In ornamental plant cultures, some use is made at present of biological control of pests. However, chemical methods are still used against pests where biological methods are not available or are not deemed to be sufficiently effective or competitive. Chemical agents are also used where invasion from outside makes biological control impossible and for harvesting a culture – with a view to complying with the current plant health rules, which include requirements concerning 0-tolerance pests and pests that affect quality. Fungicides are used to prevent soil-borne diseases, for example, which can be very destructive in the establishment phase, but also for preventing mildew, grey mould, etc.

Most pot plants are treated with growth regulators several times during production to get the desired size and flowering structure.

6.5 Conclusion

Production within this sector is very varied and comprises many different cultures. The requirements concerning plant health within market-garden cultures are generally high and are governed by EU plant health directives, which also specify pests and levels of pests that cannot be accepted. In Denmark today there is a considerable degree of self-sufficiency in vegetables (60-90%), while self-sufficiency in fruit and berries varies between 25% for apples and 95% for cherries.

The supply of pesticides within the market gardening sector is already rather limited today because some products are no longer marketed and/or have been banned in connection with a review.

There are no studies with reliable figures for pesticide consumption within market gardening. There is therefore considerable uncertainty concerning the actual consumption, which makes it difficult to analyse scenarios.

References

Anon. (1995): Green Report on Apples (2) 1995. Green Information.

Anon. (1998): Danmarks Statistik, Greenhouse Count, 1996.

Brander, P.E., Noyé, G., Nøhr-Rasmussen, A., Leonhard, B., Sivertsen, H. (1998): Assistance to committee in evaluation of the overall consequences of phasing out pesticides: Description of relevant production factors in a 100% (= present production) and a 0% scenario within fruit and berry production. Report prepared for the Pesticide Committee, 1998.

Friis, K., Melander, B., Sørensen, L., Korsgård M.(1998): Assistance to committee for evaluation of the overall consequences of phasing out pesticides: Description of relevant production factors in a 100% (= present production) and a 0% scenario within market-garden production of outdoor vegetables and garden seed. Report prepared for the Pesticide Committee, 1998.

Lindhard, H., Bach-Lauritsen, H., Nøhr Rasmussen, A., Korsgård, M., Thorup, J. (1998): Assistance to committee in evaluation of the overall consequences of phasing out pesticides: Description of relevant production factors in a 100% (= present production) and a 0% scenario within market-garden production of fruit and berries. Report prepared for the Pesticide Committee, 1998.

Ottosen, C.O., Nøhr Rasmussen, A., Lippert, T., Rosager, L., Kristensen, K. (1998): Assistance to committee in evaluation of the overall consequences of phasing out pesticides: Description of relevant production factors in a 100% (= present production) and a 0% scenario with market-garden greenhouse production. Report prepared for the Pesticide Committee, 1998.