3.1.3 Finland
In Finland, the legal framework operates under a hierarchical structure that incorporates laws, regulations, and guidelines. Laws are enacted by the Finnish Parliament and form the core of the legal framework. The EU directives are implemented in the Finnish laws and regulations. Laws set out the fundamental rules and principles governing various aspects of society for example environmental protection.
Regulations are issued by the government or relevant ministries to provide detailed rules for implementing laws. They address more specific issues and technicalities, ensuring that laws are applied uniformly.
The study found eight different policies that addresses emissions of pollutants from agriculture, they work on different levels to address different social challenges and improve the environment in several different ecosystems. They cover pollutants such as CH
4, N
2O, NO
X and NH
3 from the agricultural sector. For the full list of policies that address CH
4, N
2O, NO
X and NH
3 from agriculture, see
appendix 1. Finland also has national environmental goals. One of the goals stipulated in Finland’s climate policy states that Finland must be carbon neutral by 2035 at the latest.
Important directives that address various emissions from agriculture is Nitrates directive (91/676/EEG), the water framework directive (200/60/EG) and the EU legislation on fertiliser products ((EU) 2019/1009). The nitrates directive is important to limit the emissions of NH3 because it has rules covering manure houses, spreading manure and fertilisation restrictions regarding nitrogen as well as protective distances to water bodies. Through the Water Framework Directive, Finland has water management plans, in which necessary water management measures have been identified, that, among other objectives, aim to reduce emissions of N to water bodies.
The Finnish Climate Law contains provisions on the goals and framework for Finland's climate policy. Although the law does not directly regulate individual sectors like agriculture, it impacts farmers and agriculture through national climate policies and targets.
On a local level there are regulations such as Government regulation on environmental compensation. This regulation is a part of Finland's rural development program and offers financial support to farmers to implement environmentally friendly measures, including improved manure management and precision farming. The system encourages the use of environmental protection measures that reduce Nr emissions.
Finnish obligations and commitments to goals addressing pollutants from agriculture are presented in a database, see
appendix 2. Below is a list of examples of Finland’s commitments:
Reduce GHG-emissions by 90–95 percent compared to 1990 to 2050 (Finland Climate policy)
Achieve good status in all bodies of surface and groundwater by 2027. (Good status is comprised of four assessments: Ecological status of surface waters, Chemical status of surface waters, Chemical status of groundwaters and Quantitative status of groundwaters) (Water framework agreement)
Reduction of NO2 by 20 percent from 2005 (Gothenburg protocol annex II 2017)
Reduce health impacts (premature mortality due to particulate matter and ozone) of air pollution by 52 percent to 2030 compared to 2005 (A Clean Air Programme for Europe)
3.1.4 Iceland
In Iceland, the legal and regulatory framework operates under a hierarchical system that combines laws, regulations, and directives. Iceland operates under its Constitution, which provides the foundation for all laws and legal systems. Laws are passed by the parliament. Laws serve as the primary legal instruments that regulate various aspects of the Icelandic society, including environmental protection. Regulations are issued by the government. Specific ministries may get the task to implement a certain law. Ministries or government agencies have the authority to issue regulations as per the laws enacted by the parliament. Many of the environmental laws issued by the EU has through the EEA mechanism, been implemented into the Icelandic legal system. Therefore, the EU has a large influence on the Icelandic environmental laws that aims to prevent pollutions and environmental quality.
The agricultural sector in Iceland is regulated through a couple of policies. For the full list of policies that address CH
4, N
2O, NO
x and NH
3 from agriculture, see
appendix 1. The environmental impact assessment establishes a framework for evaluating the environmental impact and with a focus on sustainable development. The law states that projects or activities likely to have significant environmental effects must undergo an environmental impact assessment before they can proceed.
Iceland also has an Icelandic Climate Action Plan, which is a part of Iceland's climate goals. The 2020 Climate Action Plan addresses CH4 and N2O emissions from livestock, manure management and fertilisation use. The 2024 Climate Action Plan was published in June and is currently undergoing public consultation and address similar issues within the agricultural sector.
The Water Management Law regulates the protection of water bodies from nutrient pollution, such as N runoff from agriculture, which can lead to eutrophication of rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.
Iceland is in the process of transposing into national law the international directive (EU) 2016/2284 which sets emission ceilings on certain atmospheric pollutants, including NOx and NH3.
The study found five policies that regulates pollutants from agricultural sector in Iceland. They work on different levels to address different social challenges and improve the environment in several different ecosystems. They cover pollutants such as CH4, N2O, NOx and NH3 from the agricultural sector.
Islandic obligations and commitments to goals addressing pollutants from agriculture are presented in a database, see
appendix 2. Below is a list of examples of Iceland’s commitments:
Greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 40 percent by 2030 under the Paris Agreement, compared to 1990 level, in a joint effort with the EU (Icelandic climate policy).
Tackle eutrophication, through limiting inputs of nutrients and organic matter to levels that do not give rise to adverse effects on the marine environment (OSPAR, North-East Atlantic environment strategy).
3.1.5 Norway
Norway is part of the EEA, which means Norway must adopt certain EU regulations and directives in areas like environmental protection, however, common agriculture and fisheries policies are not covered by the EEA. EU directives set common standards, while Norwegian laws and regulations details how to implement these standards nationally. An example of a directive that is implemented in Norway through national legislation is the EU Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) to control N pollution from fertilisers.
Laws are passed by the Norwegian Parliament and form the primary legal framework. Regulations are more detailed rules issued by the government ministries to implement the provisions of laws. Regulations specify technical and administrative requirements for sectors like agriculture and environmental management.
Guidelines and directives are issued by ministries or agencies to explain how laws and regulations should be applied. The parliament can issue instructions through political guidelines. Norway’s local municipalities have some regulatory mandate, especially in environmental and land-use issues. Municipal councils can issue regulations that complement national laws and regulations, often focusing on local environmental management and land-use planning.
The study found twelve policies that regulates pollutants from the agricultural sector in Norway. For the full list of policies addressing CH
4, N
2O, NO
x and NH
3 from agriculture, see
appendix 1. The policies work on different levels to address different social challenges and to improve the environment in several different ecosystems. They cover pollutants from agriculture such as CH
4, N
2O, NO
x and NH
3. The national environmental and climate program aims to improve the environment and mitigate the climate change and have goals such as “[t]he ecosystems should have good status and deliver ecosystem services” and that “[p]ollutants should not harm health and environment”.
Pollutant from the agricultural sector is regulated in different policies. For example, the Pollution Law (Forureningsloven, 1981) aims to protect the external environment against pollution and to reduce the existing pollutions. The law aims to establish a legal framework for preventing and limiting pollution, including emissions to air, water, and soil, while promoting sustainable management of natural resources. This law plays a key role in controlling pollutants such as Nr and CH4, from the agricultural sector.
The Climate Law sets long-term goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It aligns with Norway's commitment to becoming a low-emission society by 2050, which means that Norway should, by 2050, have reduced their greenhouse emissions by 90–95 percent compared to the reference year of 1990.
In June 2019, Norway’s two main agricultural organisations and the Government signed a letter of intent, setting out a climate target for the agricultural sector; to reduce emissions and enhance removals by a total of five million tonnes CO2eq over the period of 2021–2030. The letter of intent applies to all mitigation measures for agricultural activities whose effects can be accounted for in the sectors agriculture, transport, heating of buildings and LULUCF (with the exception of forestry) in Norway’s official greenhouse gas inventory. According to the letter of intent, responsibility for reducing emissions is shared between the agricultural sector and the Government. The agricultural sector is expected to achieve a substantial share of the emission reductions, for example through breeding programs, better fertiliser management and a switch to fossil-free energy use. The Government’s efforts to promote changes in consumption patterns may indirectly reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are accounted for in the agricultural sector. These efforts include initiatives to achieve the goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030 and to persuade people to follow the dietary recommendations from the Directorate of Health.
To follow up the 2019 letter of intent, the agricultural organisations drew up a climate action plan for the sector, published in 2020. This sets out how the agricultural sector intends to achieve the target of the letter of intent through action in defined focus areas, with the individual farm and what farmers can do themselves as a starting point.
Norway’s obligations and commitments to goals addressing pollutants from agriculture are presented in a database, see
appendix 2. Below is a list of examples of Norway’s commitments:
Norway’s new target is to reduce emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to the reference year 1990 (The Climate Law).
Reduction of NO2 by 23 percent from 2005 levels (Gothenburg protocol annex II 2017)
No waterbodies should have bad status (National environmental program 2023–2026 (Mål i Nasjonalt miljøprogram 2023–2026) – Runoff to water
3.2 Measures to mitigate ammonia, methane and nitrogen emissions
The database of mitigation measures compiled in this project has resulted in a comprehensive number of measures that catalogues mitigation strategies within the agricultural sector across the Nordic countries. These measures are designed to mitigate negative impacts on climate and/or air pollution, targeting emissions of NH
3, Nr and CH
4 across various agricultural practices and contexts. This chapter provides an overview of the database, highlighting identified integrated mitigation measures that address both climate and air pollution. The full database is available in
appendix 3 – Mapping measures to mitigate ANM.The database includes approximately 360 mitigation measures in total, though some measures appear multiple times in the database due to reporting from various sources or countries, see
table 2 for a summary of the different categorisations used in this project. The measures are primarily reported from the Nordic countries, with additional contributions from European and international literature. About 70 of these measures are classified as integrated mitigation strategies, addressing both air and climate emissions simultaneously.
The classification, Measure Type, was applied to categorise the individual measures in the database into a single category if they represent the same type of mitigation action. In total, approximately 160 different measure types were identified in the literature. This approach enabled the grouping of measures with similar or the same characteristics and objectives, facilitating easier comparison between the literature sources and countries.
Approximately 30 measure types from the database were classified as integrated mitigation strategies, addressing both air and climate emissions simultaneously. These integrated measures are central for developing holistic approaches to emission reduction in agriculture. The key measure types identified in this project as the most effective in mitigating both types of emissions are presented in
chapter 3.3.