Updated interim report for the 2014-2020 period

For the preparation of the 2021 annual assessment report, the evaluator used secondary data and information from the regional monitoring system as of 31/12/2021. In particular, the transversal database on structural applications shows the different procedural and implementation phases of aid and payment applications for all measures and focus areas represented by each type of operation.

The analysis carried out with the methodology proposed by Directive 2009/128/EC has shown positive effects of applying envisaged operation types on the weight load of pesticides. In particular, there was a reduction in the average load on integrated land (-6% as a regional average), while on organic land, it showed variable effects in the various combinations (e.g. ‘culture x cultivation area’) with reductions in loads and increases in mountain ranges. For this type of operation, the significant effect of sulfur treatments, particularly in powder form, is used on organic farms in significant amounts and penalised by a multiplication factor of eight. In the organic vine, these treatments represent 81% of the total weight load.

The comparison of data collected in the previous programming period made it possible to estimate the Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (HRI1) indicator. It should be recalled that the calculation of HRI1 on the basis of the weighted loads of individual crops and data can lead to values different from those obtainable considering the entire region, as provided for in Directive 2009/128/EC. In addition, the period used to calculate the baseline is only partially superimposed in the timeframe indicated by the directive. The values obtained should therefore be considered as the first approximations to the regional achievable value.

Despite these methodological limitations, the calculation of HRI1 showed some interesting effects. First, the average value of the index for the three year period of 2017-2019 is in line with what was achieved at the national level. Among the types of operations, organic farms show a substantial constancy of HRI1 between the three-year period of 2009-11 and 2017-19, while an important reduction was observed for the integrated farms and, especially, for convention farms. The reduction of HRI1 on integrated farms highlights the effort to move towards greater environmental crop protection. The decrease in HRI1 on conventional farms highlights the trend towards alignment on environmentally friendly techniques, even in companies not participating in the RDP.