Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Issues related to agriculture, forestry and fishing go far beyond their simple economic function, reflecting the role of these sectors within society and the contribution and impact of their resources on the environment. Among the many issues of importance are the protection of the environment, sustainable practices for farming, forestry and fishing, food safety and security, animal welfare and broader perspectives relating to rural development.

Main findings

Forests occur under a huge variety of climatic, geographic, ecological and socio-economic conditions and are an essential part of the natural environment. They have an impact on water resources, act as a stabiliser for the Earth’s climate, provide shelter to animal and plant life, provide food, medicinal and cosmetic resources, genetic breeding stock, seeds for cultivation, wood and similar materials to be used for manufacturing, construction and as a fuel. Forestry also provides employment in many rural areas and diverse opportunities for outdoor recreation attracting tourists. Roundwood production in the EU 27 reached 420.8 million m³ in 2010, making the EU 27 the largest producer within the G20 – see Table 8.1. Forest cover within the EU extended to 156.9 million hectares in 2009, around 37.7 % of all land area.

Aside from fish farming, fish are not owned until they have been caught, and so fish stocks continue to be regarded as a common resource, requiring collective management. This has led to a range of policies and international agreements that regulate the amount of fishing, as well as the types of fishing techniques and gear used to catch fish. The total fish catch in the EU 27 was 5.1 million tonnes in 2009, about one quarter less than in 2000 – see Table 8.2. The largest fish catch among G20 members in 2010 was reported for China, around three times the level for the EU 27. Aquaculture production in the EU 27 was 1.3 million tonnes in 2009, similar in size to the production in South Korea, but far behind that of China, Indonesia and India. Relative to population size, the EU 27’s combined fish catch and aquaculture production was 12.7 kg per inhabitant in 2009, a relatively low level compared with most G20 members.

Table 8.1: Production of roundwood and sawnwood, 2000-2010(1)

(1 000 m³)

(1) May include estimates.

(2) Excluding French overseas departments and territories.

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: tag00072 and tag00073) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Forestry)

Figure 8.1: Forest as a share of land area, 2009

(1) 2010; includes data for surface area instead of land area for some EU Member States; excluding French overseas departments and territories.

Source: Eurostat (online data code: for_area) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Resources)

(1) Data for 2009 instead of 2010.

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: tag00075 and tag00076) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FishStatJ)

Figure 8.2: Production (fish catch and aquaculture) per inhabitant, 2010 (1)

(kg per inhabitant)

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: tag00075 and tag00076), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of

the United Nations (FishStatJ and FAOSTAT: Population) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Demographic statistics)

Less than one tenth of the labour force were active in agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry in most G20 members in 2010, although this share rose to more than two fifths in Indonesia, more than one half in India, and reached three fifths in China. Among the four EU Member States that are members of the G20, the share of the labour force active in agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry ranged from 1.5 % in the United Kingdom to 3.3 % in Italy — according to data from the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Figure 8.3: Share of economically active population in agriculture, 2010 (1)

(1) The economically active population in agriculture is the population engaged in or seeking work in agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry; all values presented here are based on estimates of the FAO.

Source: the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Population)

Figure 8.4: Agricultural area as share of land area, 2009 (1)

(1) Estimates.

(2) 2007, includes data for surface area instead of land area for some EU Member States.

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: demo_r_d3area and ef_lu_ovcropaa) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Resources)

The agricultural area of the EU 27 was 172.5 million hectares in 2007, approximately 10 % more than the forest area: the share of land area used for agriculture (shown in Figure 8.4) can be compared with the similar analysis for forests (see Figure 8.1). Around two fifths of the land area in the EU 27 in 2009 was used for agriculture, around half the share that was used in South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Among the G20 members the most extensive agricultural areas were recorded for China, Australia and the United States, all with more than 400 million hectares.

Around one tenth of the agricultural land in the EU 27 was equipped for irrigation in 2007. Irrigation supports the production of crops, and is essential in some areas. While irrigation may be expected to increase crop production, it can have harmful environmental impacts, for example, if the water used is not from a sustainable source. Among the G20 members the highest proportion of agricultural area equipped for irrigation was recorded in Japan, followed by South Korea and India. The EU 27, South Korea and Russia all recorded a fall in their share of agricultural area equipped for irrigation between 1999 and 2009 (2007 for the EU 27), whereas the largest increases in percentage point terms were in Japan and India.

The organic area includes land fully converted to organic farming and areas under conversion; organic farming places the highest emphasis on environmental and wildlife protection and animal welfare considerations. The organic area reached 3.1 % of the total agricultural area in the EU 27 (2007 data), a share comparable with the share recorded in 2009 for Argentina and Australia among the G20 members.

Table 8.3: Agricultural area, 1999 and 2009

(1) Data for 2003 instead of 1999; data for 2007 instead of 2009; includes data for surface area instead of land area for some EU Member States; area equipped for irrigation, excluding Germany and Estonia.

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: demo_r_d3area, ef_lu_ovcropaa, ef_ov_lusum and ef_mporganic) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Resources)

The production of a range of different vegetables across the G20 members for 2010 is presented in Table 8.4. Four G20 members together produced more than three quarters of the production of cereals among the G20 members in 2010, with production in China approaching 500 million tonnes – see Figure 8.5. More than half of the total meat production in Argentina and Australia

Table 8.4: Production of selected vegetables, 2010

(1 000 tonnes)

(1) Excluding Ireland; data for most EU Member States from 2011, some data from 2010 or earlier years; beans and peas, excluding the United Kingdom; gherkins, excluding Belgium; chicory, excluding Germany; onions, excluding Sweden; shallots, excluding several EU Member States; no recent data for turnips.

Source: Eurostat (online data code: apro_cpp_fruveg) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Production)

Figure 8.5: Production of cereals, 2000 and 2010(1)

(million tonnes)

(1) May include estimates.

Source: Eurostat (online data code: apro_cpp_crop) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Production)

was cattle meat, while similar levels of specialisation were recorded in China, South Korea and the EU 27 for pig meat, and in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and India for poultry meat. The EU 27 had the largest production of cows’ milk among G20 members in 2010 and the third highest ratio of production per inhabitant (see Figure 8.6).

Table 8.5: Meat and milk production, 2010

(1 000 tonnes)

(1) May include estimates.

(2) Meat production, 2011; cows milk concerns collection and excludes data for Malta.

Source: Eurostat (online data codes: tag00044, tag00042, tag00043, tag00045 and tag00037) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Production)

Figure 8.6: Milk production per inhabitant, 2010

(kg per inhabitant)

(1) Milk collection; excluding Malta. (2) Estimates.

Source: Eurostat (online data code: tag00037) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAOSTAT: Production and population).