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The report is a first ever attempt to identify the full range of environmental public goods provided by farmers across Europe and sets out the arguments for paying for their delivery via the public purse. The study identifies a wide range of diverse environmental and social public goods that are provided by European farmers, including valued cultural landscapes, farmland birds and the species-rich meadows that are found across Europe. In addition, farmers manage the land for carbon storage and help to maintain high quality water and soils.
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/analysis/external/public-goods/index_en.htm
