Old Wine in New Bottles: Exploiting Data from the EU’s Farm Accountancy Data Network for Pan-EU Sustainability Assessments of Agricultural Production Systems

The paper presents insights from carrying out a pan-EU sustainability assessment using Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data (the old wine) with societal metabolism accounting (SMA) processes new bottles). SMA was deployed as part of transdisciplinary study EU policy stakeholders how may need to change deliver commitments, particularly the UN Sustainable Development Goals. outlines concepts underlying and its specific implementation FADN data. A key focus on interactions between crop livestock systems this determines imported feedstuffs requirements, environmental other footprints beyond EU. Examples agricultural production performance are presented in terms financial/efficiency, resource use (particularly water footprint) quantifies potential pressures environment. Benefits limitations dataset outputs discussed, highlighting challenges linking quantified impacts. concludes that complexity agriculture’s economy society means there is great for conceptual frameworks, such SMA, can take multiple, non-equivalent, perspectives be despite generating uncomfortable knowledge.