Common agricultural policy CAP: measures to be undertaken making use of the remote-sensing applications, 2008-2013
This Commission report concerns the implementation of the remote sensing applications and on the use of the financial resources made available to it under Council Regulation (EC) No 78/2008. This Regulation provides the legal framework for these remote-sensing activities for the period 2008-2013.
The report’s main conclusion is that the MARS Crop Yield Forecasting System (MCYFS) has provided effective and timely information and objective data in support to the decision making process for the deployment of the CAP. Beyond the primary objective of producing harvest yield and production forecasts, the system also provides useful insights into other fields relevant to EU agriculture, such as climate change issues.
The Commission has proposed to continue the MCYFS via Article 22 of the proposed Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy on which a political agreement among the Institutions was reached on 26 June 2013.
The continuation of the MCYFS could include new activities to follow the needs of the CAP, which evolves and adapts to a changing global economic environment. These new activities might include:
- a MCYFS enlarged to other main production areas of the world and to additional relevant crops;
- a modelling tool extended to EU crops other than those currently covered (e.g. to rye, oats, triticale, sugar cane, soy bean);
- a more complete modelling of pasture systems able to provide quantitative estimates of biomass production.