CRITICAL ISSUES OF THE ECO-SCHEME 5 (CAP 2023-2027) IN THE OPTICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AGRO-ECOSYSTEM

The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 has provided for the adoption of eco- schemes by member states, which are voluntary adherence measures for more environmentally sustainable agricultural and livestock farming practices. Particularly, eco-scheme 5 provides for "special measures for pollinators", aiming to improve pollinators conditions, to increase the ecosystem service of pollination, to preserve biodiversity and to reduce the use of plant protection products (PPP) by sowing polliniferous and nectariferous species mixes. Within the Demo-Farm Plus project, funded by Regione Lombardia, D.G. Agriculture, Food and Green Systems, Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, Operation 1.2.01, at a demo-farm within the Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Risaie della Lomellina, in the Lombardy region, CAP eco-scheme 5 was implemented. The assessment of the phytocenosis development of eco-scheme 5, and its attractiveness to insects made it possible to identify some criticalities of this measure according to the restrictions imposed by Italian CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027: a) difficulties in implementing the list of species allowed; b) minimum number of obligatory species insufficient to guarantee biodiversity of pollinators and the scalar flowering period; c) difficulty in the control for spontaneous species not included in the list due to the management ban; d) excessive limits for the minimum extension of the plants coverage. The project Demo- Farm Plus, through information and demonstration activities, provides guidelines to mitigate these critical issues. The botanist and entomologist professionals are useful and crucial in addressing and solving critical issues, to create a functional eco-scheme 5 also considering the different environments in the agro-ecosystem.