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Conversion to a Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN)

Agriculture and rural development

With this initiative, the existing farm data network will extend its scope to include information on environmental and social practices of EU farms. That will enable the benchmarking of farm performance, leading to tailored advice and guidance to farmers in consequence. This will improve the sustainability of farmers, including their incomes, in line with the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Green Deal and its Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies.

Links

Public consultation

ID: 12951

Lobbying Activity

24 responses

Copa-Cogeca warns against mandatory sustainability data for farmers

European farmers, 18 Jul 2022

The organization insists data provision should remain voluntary rather than mandatory to avoid excessive burdens. They argue the network must maintain a central focus on the economic situation of farms.
A voluntary system reduces compliance costs and prevents potential penalties for European farmers.
EU regulators lose access to the comprehensive data required to monitor environmental targets.

Consultation response

BASF SE, 29 Jun 2021

BASF Feedback to the Commission Inception Impact Assessment on the creation of a Farm Sustainability Data Network BASF Agricultural Solutions welcomes the initiative to transform the existing Farm Accountancy Data Network into a more comprehensive tool that would cover all three pillars of…

Bayer urges broader farm data collection beyond organic practices

Bayer AG, 30 Jun 2021

Bayer requests data collection cover all farming tools and systems, not just organic methods. They want inclusion of conventional, digital, chemical, biological and mechanical practices. The company argues the current focus on Farm to Fork targets is too narrow for effective sustainability policy.
This would legitimize conventional and chemical farming methods alongside organic practices in sustainability policy.
Environmental advocates lose emphasis on reducing pesticide and fertilizer use through targeted Farm to Fork metrics.

BirdLife Europe demands mandatory farm environmental data collection

Stichting BirdLife Europe, 9 Sept 2022

BirdLife Europe demands mandatory environmental variables like biodiversity and pesticides. They urge starting data collection before 2025 while ensuring database interoperability.
Enhanced data access would empower the group to monitor agricultural impacts on wildlife.
Intensive agricultural producers would face mandatory reporting on their chemical inputs and footprints.

German Farmers Association warns against mandatory sustainability data reporting

Deutscher Bauernverband, 31 Aug 2022

The association demands voluntary reporting supported by significantly higher financial incentives. They suggest linking accountancy data with existing databases to limit reporting burdens. They also call for a formal impact assessment before implementation.
Limiting data requests would reduce administrative burdens and protect sensitive farm business information.
EU climate goals suffer as authorities lack granular data to monitor sustainability progress.

IFOAM Organics Europe urges holistic farm sustainability data collection

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements EU Regional Group, 8 Sept 2022

The organization requests that organic agriculture be fully taken into account when composing farm samples. They also propose collecting a comprehensive set of environmental and social variables.
This would highlight the benefits of organic farming to secure more targeted policy support.

Consultation response

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements EU Regional Group, 2 Jul 2021

IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the Commission’s initiative to review the FADN Regulation to transform it into a FSDN. Economic data collected at farm-level needs to be completed with data on the environmental and social components of farms, whether for policy monitoring and evaluation or for…

Consultation response

Fertilizers Europe, 2 Jul 2021

Fertilizers Europe appreciates the opportunity to provide an opinion on the above-mentioned initiative and welcomes the Commission the proposal for the conversion of the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) into a Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN). The FADN is a cornerstone for the appraisal…

Consultation response

SUEZ Group, 2 Jul 2021

SUEZ welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the roadmap consultation on the conversion of the Farm Accountancy Data Network. In order to feed an ever-expanding world population and face the decline in the availability of natural resources, it is inevitable to make a sustainable agricultural…

Yara urges nitrogen efficiency tracking in farm data network

YARA BELGIUM S.A., 2 Jul 2021

The company requests inclusion of Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) as a sustainability indicator and modern data collection methods using digital tools and satellite data. They want better data accessibility and physical traceability of products.
This would support their core business of selling digital farming tools and precision agriculture services to farmers.

Consultation response

Pesticide Action Network Europe, 2 Jul 2021

PAN Europe thanks for the opportunity to comment on the roadmap proposing to convert the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) into the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN).   PAN Europe welcomes the recognition that the overall aim of the FADN is to address the needs of the Common Agricultural…

Rabobank urges individual farm data to enable sustainability rewards

Rabobank, 1 Jul 2022

Rabobank prioritizes measuring climate footprints, soil health, and biodiversity at the individual farm level. They argue for standardized measurements instead of generic estimates to enable commercial rewards for sustainability efforts. They advocate for using open-source frameworks like the Open Soil Index to monitor and improve field-specific quality.
Accurate data enables Rabobank to develop sustainable revenue models and financial rewards for customers.
Producers with poor environmental performance lose the protection of generic category-based labeling scores.

Austrian Agriculture Chamber Urges Voluntary Sustainability Data Sharing

Landwirtschaftskammer Österreich, 26 Jul 2022

Data submission should be voluntary and based on consent rather than a blanket obligation. They request that information only be shared in an aggregated and anonymized form. Furthermore, the EU must guarantee financial compensation for the costs incurred by participating farms.
Farmers would avoid regulatory penalties while securing guaranteed financial incentives for their data.
EU authorities lose the power to mandate data submission and impose penalties for non-compliance.

Consultation response

Landwirtschaftskammer Österreich, 28 Jun 2021

FADN has been and is an important tool in assessing the economic and financial situation of European farmers, which still lags 53% behind the wages/loans of EU economic average. If the FSDN as follow-up of the FADN has the aim to address the F2F targets it is of utmost importance that those targets…

Consultation response

Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie Nederland, 2 Jul 2021

Dear, The input of LTO Nederland, the Dutch Organisation for Agriculture and Horticulture, can be found attached. With kind regards, Iris Bouwers LTO Nederland

Consultation response

International Biocontrol Manufacturers' Association, 30 Jun 2021

IBMA, the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association, welcomes this public consultation regarding a crucial matter for the transition to a future more sustainable agriculture using agroecological farming practices, in line with EU objectives. The Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN)…

Glastuinbouw Nederland urges voluntary participation and financial incentives

Glastuinbouw Nederland, 5 Aug 2022

The organization wants data registration to be voluntary rather than mandatory. They propose using financial incentives to encourage participation while keeping economic data as the primary focus.
This approach would protect growers from significant administrative costs and bureaucracy.
Public authorities lose the ability to mandate and sanction data collection efforts.

Consultation response

DSM-Firmenich, 2 Jul 2021

DSM welcomes the effort to collect additional information for a fact-based analysis of the sustainability performance of European farming systems and to enable monitoring of progress to happen. To secure the possible use of the data collected for GHG emissions modelling, it would matter to capture,…

Consultation response

Agroecology Europe, 2 Jul 2021

Agroecology Europe’s comments on the Roadmap on the Conversion of the FADN to a Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN) Agroecology Europe, 2 July 2021 Agroecology Europe welcomes the Commission's initiative to set up a multidimensional, harmonized FSDN (Farm Sustainability Data Network) data…

INRAE advocates for automated data in farm sustainability network

Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, 9 Sept 2022

The organization calls for the automation of data collection to reduce the burden on farmers. They propose a pilot status for participants to receive public funding for digital recording equipment. Feedback also suggests including detailed metrics on pesticide use and biodiversity.
Detailed automated data would significantly boost scientific knowledge and research capabilities.

Green REV Institute urges mandatory reporting for plant-based food transition

Green REV Institute, 27 Aug 2022

The institute demands that data reporting becomes mandatory and covers environmental impacts like air and water pollution. They want the network to include social data on agricultural labor conditions and animal production health risks.
Detailed data would help redirect EU funding from intensive animal farming toward plant-based production models.
Intensive animal farming operations would face reduced financial support and increased regulatory scrutiny of their operations.

Consultation response

BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, 2 Jul 2021

The conversion of the FADN to FSDN is a very positive and needed development. The experience gathered historically in the collection of standardised accounting data and horizontal data analyses already carried out will allow us to better assess the sustainability of the farming practices in Europe.…

Consultation response

CEEweb for Biodiversity, 7 Sept 2022

AGROMIX’s response to the EC “Have your say call” on FSDN regulation The AGROMIX Consortium welcomes the new Council Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 as regards conversion of the Farm Accountancy Data Network into a Farm Sustainability Data Network. The Consortium highlights the importance in…

Consultation response

F.I.R. Federazione Italiana Ristorazione, 7 Jun 2021

Sicuramente la parte che riguarda l'assemblaggio dei dati risulta essere fondamentale e creare una rete sarebbe il raggiungimento di un risultato fondamentale. Come sappiamo l'utilizzo di shapefile, chiamato anche shapefile ESRI, è un formato vettoriale che viene utilizzato, soprattutto, nei…