Nutrient record-keeping and reporting for legislation, crop assurance and traceability

Abstract

These years there is an increasing interest in systems which are capable of recording all the activities the farmer carries out in the field. The reason for this interest is that the farmer is increasingly facing demands for documentation on all events from sowing to harvesting. In several European countries environmental restrictions have been imposed on farming, and the farmer’s recordings form part of the control measures, checking whether his way of cultivation complies with legislation. The records are also used to estimate the consumption of inputs which the farmer has to send to the authorities. The feedstuffs trade also demands documentation, showing that the products have been produced in accordance with the agreed guidelines. Food safety is essential. There is an increasing demand for an opportunity to trace a product from the cold counter in the supermarket back to the primary producer. This is called traceability and traceability also calls for recordings to be made by the farmer. The demands for recordings are fairly new for the farmers. The following paper describes some of the factors that may motivate the farmers to make proper recordings. A survey shows how farmers in Denmark, the United Kingdom and Holland can make their records. The results of extensive analyses in Holland are described, based on the farmers’ recordings.