Contribution of organic farming to marine environmental protection

In Europe organic farming is directed by the EU-Regulation 2092/91. The main differences between organic and conventional farming systems are significant restrictions for the use of fertilisers and pesticides on organic farms. Additionally, import of fertilisers, fodder, manure, pharmaceuticals, cleansing agents and stocking densities are limited. Thus it is concluded that organic fanning has a high potential to contribute to marine environmental protection and is in accordance to the HELCOM Annex III on 'Prevention of pollution from agriculture'. Organic farms are operating at a significantly lower yield level than conventional farming systems. Recent literature shows that conventional farms would have to set aside 50 % of their arable land to reach the lower level of nitrate leaching of organic farms. Vice versa organic farms would realise 25 % more yield at the same level of nitrate leaching. The presented literature based survey shows that today's organic fanning rate is not very important for the reduction of nutrient and pesticide loads into the drainage basin of the Baltic sea (2.3 % N, 1.8 % P; 0.8 % herbicides, 0.3 % insecticides, 0.6 % plant growth regulators). But considering the geographic distribution of the arable land in the countries forming the drainage basin and its conversion rates to organic fanning it is obvious that the best efficiency to reduce effluxes can be expected when organic farming is legally regulated in countries with high input of fertilisers and pesticides and in countries covering large areas of special drainage basins, respectively.