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POLISH CODE OF GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Since almost 60% of total Poland's area is used for agriculture (arable land and grassland occupy 18 million hectares) and are affected significantly by farmers' activities, it is evident that it is the farmer who has to do his best to prevent the environment from becoming polluted. The same agricultural treatments may influence the environment to various degrees depending on soil quality, local site conditions as well as on the intensity and concentration of production, especially animal production. It seems that nitrogen compounds, which directly reach surface and ground water as a result of leaching or to the atmosphere as a result of ammonia emissions are the greatest threats to the environment. The majority of water sources for drinking purposes in rural areas are supplied by ground waters that are exposed to various kinds of pollution coming both from the farmhouse and its surroundings. A farmer as well as his family, their knowledge and awareness can to great extent have an effect on the purity of ground water below the farm yard on which a well is situated. Protective activities undertaken on rural areas do not only fulfil legal regulations but they also indicate relationships between the farmer and the environment. Environment protection is regulated by many international agreements, which Poland has signed, as well as by EU law that obliges all countries to prepare a Code of Good Agricultural Practice. Additionally Poland is developing its own pro-ecological policy by establishing appropriate decrees on environment management and use as well as establishing norms on admissible concentrations of various substances in the environment. The Code of Good Agricultural Practice has been prepared in co-operation with agricultural advisers and representatives of Agricultural Organizations. It is supposed to be useful in introducing environmentally-friendly practices into the environment and in enabling the agricultural sector to develop in a sustainable way. The Code describes not only the main environmental threats likely to arise during agricultural production which may lead to unfavourable changes of physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil and water, but it is also a guide showing how to protect the environment in agricultural production. Farm management in accordance with the Code is beneficial both for the environment and for farmers because it:
All the benefits mentioned above allow farmers to improve the economic effectiveness of their individual farms. However it requires the continual acquisition of new knowledge in order to observe and understand the various interactions which occur on farms. People responsible for agricultural policy and environmental protection should also be acquainted with the Code so that they are able to establish a balance between the level of agricultural intensification and the necessity of environmental protection. The investment required for protection of water quality on individual farms is beyond the reach of Polish farmers at present and requires appropriate subsidies. How to use the Code The Code is divided into four basic chapters including the principles of good agricultural practices. It starts with the establishment and organization of a farm and then describes practices beneficial both for farmers and for the environment which should be applied in plant and animal production. Each part begins with an introduction presenting the problem, which is followed by information on the present legal regulations defined by Polish law, and in some cases by the Directives of European Union and HELCOM recommendations (there are numbered references to the Annexes of legal regulations). Then it presents general recommendations making a proper Code (written in italics) as well as specific, technical and practical recommendations with the essential explanations. |
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