Non-road fuel consumption and pollutant emissions ... - BAFU - CH

Non-road fuel consumption and pollutant emissions FOEN 2008 78
8.3 Agricultural machinery
8.3.1 Fuel consumption
The overall annual consumption of diesel by agricultural machinery amounted to
around 126,000 tonnes in 2005, with tractors accounting for 84% of this figure
(Fig. 40, top left). This consumption level corresponds fairly closely to the statistics of
the Directorate General of Customs (OZD), according to which 122,000 tonnes of
diesel were consumed for agricultural purposes in 2004 24 .
Development of fuel consumption from 1980 to 2020
Fuel consumption increased during the past few years, from 101,000 tonnes in 1980 to
126,000 in 2005 (Fig. 40, bottom). No further growth is anticipated for the next few
years. At the same time, the consumption of petrol in the agricultural sector has been
decreasing, mainly because petrol-powered machines are being replaced to an increasing
extent by diesel-powered equipment. Overall, fuel consumption by agricultural
machinery has increased slightly over the past few years.
24
Up until 2004, the Directorate General of Customs kept statistics concerning fuel consumption in the agricultural sector within the scope
of its calculation of refunds from duty collected on motor fuels. Its data encompassed around 87% of all agricultural operations. The
Directorate used the resulting figures for the purpose of assessing whether the level of fuel consumption reported by an agricultural
business was realistic in view of the cultivated area.
From the point of view of the Directorate, the figures concerning the overall consumption of diesel for the businesses concerned were
probably somewhat over-estimated, although 13% did not apply for a refund. For this group the Directorate assumed a standardised
consumption level of 2.6 million litres or 3300 tonnes of diesel.
Consumption by contractors who do not operate their own agricultural business is not recorded by the Directorate. According to an
assessment by the Swiss Association for Agricultural Technology, however, most contractors have their own agricultural business. The
Directorate supports the hypothesis that the number of contractors is low in its own assessment, according to which merely 362 applicants
(out of a total of 55,870) report a consumption level that is more than 10 times higher than the refund paid to them in accordance
with the standard consumption calculation.