According to the draft regulation of the EU Commission, peat fields must be gradually moved out of cultivation.
Jari Ahlholmin on a dairy farm, every peat field is important. The fields on the farm in Kärsämäki, Northern Ostrobothnia, are needed for grass cultivation so that the cows can eat high-quality silage throughout the year.
“We need to be able to ensure domestic feed production for animals. It’s not worth bringing feed from far away, it’s money back and it’s a bad thing for the climate as well, ”says Ahlholm, who runs more than 60 cows.
EU the Commission is preparing presently a large package of laws that would force the transfer of peatlands out of cultivation for climatic reasons. According to the draft regulation, peatlands must be phased out so that in 2050 only 30% of peatlands can be used.
In addition to peatlands, restoration legislation would apply to all areas in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive that have not yet achieved good ecological status – as much as a third of Finland.
“The EU the commission is moving in a direction where it no longer has powers, ”says Ahlholm
According to Ahlholm, the Commission is walking over the Finnish Constitution.
“We have some form of property protection and freedom to do business. Here we go beyond these constitutional rights in Finland, ”he says.
Jari Ahlholm has been holding the room with his wife since 1994.
Ahlholmin the family ranch in Kärsämäki has been owned by the same family since 1906. Jari Ahlholm has kept the farm with his wife since 1994.
Ahlholm is also the chairman of MTK Northern Finland, the Confederation of Agricultural and Forestry Producers. MTK rebuked I have already said the Commission’s bill as an unscrupulous coup attempt.
As a farmer Ahlholm believes that EU requirements have progressed to the point where they jeopardize food production.
“In our area in Northern Ostrobothnia, there are Dairies in Haapavesi, Oulu and Kuusamo. In addition, this is a strong beef production area and a high grade area for potato production. As a new product, he raises his head with pure oats. All this is jeopardized by the Commission’s legislative package, ”says Ahlholm.
Finland only one tenth of the fields are peat fields. However, they are estimated to account for more than half of agricultural emissions, as greenhouse gas emissions from peatland cultivation are as much as seven times higher than from mineral countries.
The largest areas of peat-based cultivation are in northern Finland. In southern Finland, more mineral lands have been enough arable land.
Peatlands have been turned into fields by drainage. Drainage triggers the decomposition of peat and at the same time greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions continue as long as the peat is above the groundwater level.
In restoration the field is watered down. The water surface is raised in the field close to the ground by blocking ditches or adjusting drains. This reduces the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The intermediate form between restoration and traditional arable farming is wetland cultivation. It reduces emissions, but the farmer also gets a return on his field.
“It has its own difficulties in terms of fertilization and dry matter, for example when cultivating with osmotic coils. If you want a good harvest, it requires the same amount of nitrogen as spring cereals in water-saturated soil, and that is prohibited under the Nitrates Directive, ”says Ahlholm.
Climate targets Ahlholm believes that it is important to get the best possible harvest from the field.
“The bigger the crop, the higher the carbon sequestration,” he recalls.
If Ahlholm should now start responding to the EU’s restoration demands, which would mean reducing the number of fields and livestock.
There are no abandonment farmers around the country from whom arable land could be obtained. EU agricultural subsidies, which do not provide an incentive to give up land even if livestock farming ceases, are also on the rise.
The current system rewards the largest possible field area.
“It seems that the Commission does not understand these things – does not know and does not want to think. Underlying this is an ideology that makes performances that lack realism, ”says Ahlholm.
Read more: Farmers’ Association on EU draft: Commission wants to make Finland a northern nature reserve
Read more: The EU draft taken over by HS has enormous effects: Up to a third of Finland’s land area must be returned to its natural state
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