【分析解答题】

Since 1981, farmers in Holland have been encouraged to adopt "green" farming techniques that were thought to benefit plant and bird life. Farmers who have voluntarily adopted these measures are compensated by theEuropean Union. The goal of the program is to work against the negative effects of modern farming, such as declines in species diversity and the disturbance of local nesting grounds.

The "green" methods of farming cost theEuropean Union about 1.7 billionEuros annually. This is about 4 percent of the budget for "CommonAgricultural Policy," and the compensation is expected to rise to 10 percent within the next few years.

Various forms of "green farming" employed around the world have proved successful, and all new methods thought to be environmentally sensitive should be subject to sound scientific evaluation to determine whether they are actually meeting the intended goals.