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A European Commission
report published last week reveals that nitrate levels in
waters across the EU are falling.
The report shows that
the implementation of legislation to prevent nitrates from
agricultural sources polluting ground and surface waters is
proving effective. However, in some regions, nitrate concentrations
exceed EU water quality standards and farmers need to continue
to adopt more sustainable practices.
The agricultural use of
nitrates in organic and chemical fertilisers has been a major
source of water pollution in Europe. While nitrates are a
vital nutrient to help plants and crops grow, high concentrations
are harmful to people and nature.
The report
on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive, which aims
to control pollution and improve water quality, shows
a trend towards steady or falling nitrate concentrations within
the EU. Between 2004 and 2007, nitrate concentrations in surface
water (including rivers, lakes and canals) remained stable
or fell at 70% of monitored sites. Quality at 66% of groundwater
(below ground surface) monitoring sites is stable or improving.
However, despite
these encouraging trends, the report reveals a number of regions
where nitrate levels are worrying. High nitrate concentrations
are found in groundwater in parts of Estonia, south-east Netherlands,
Belgium (Flanders), UK (England), several parts of France,
northern Italy, north-east Spain, south-east Slovakia, southern
Romania, Malta and Cyprus. Particularly high concentrations
are found in surface waters in Malta, UK (England), Belgium
(Flanders) and France (Brittany).
According to the report, some
15% of groundwater monitoring stations and 3% of surface stations
found nitrate concentrations above the water quality standard
of 50mg/l.
Good monitoring is crucial and
involves setting up high-quality monitoring networks for ground,
surface and marine waters. There are currently 31,000 groundwater
sampling sites in the EU and 27,000 surface water stations.
More than 300 different action
programmes are in force across the EU and the quality of these
programmes is improving. Measures include periods when fertilisation
is prohibited, minimum storage for livestock manure and rules
to control the spread of nutrients near water or on slopes
to reduce the risk of contamination.
These measures also have important
benefits for air quality and help reduce emissions of the
greenhouses gases nitrous-oxide and methane - both major contributors
to climate change.
Member States have designated
territories vulnerable to nitrate pollution to which specific
action programmes apply. Some Member States (Austria, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands and Slovenia) have decided to apply action programmes
to the whole territory to provide the same level of protection
countrywide.
While actions to inform and train
farmers have resulted in much better fertilisation management
and agricultural practices, further work is still needed to
achieve water quality goals in all EU waters. Many Member
States need to step up efforts in a number of areas - including
monitoring and identifying pollution hotspots as well as developing
tougher action programmes.
The report notes growing interest
from farmers in innovative feeding methods which reduce nutrient
excretion as well as in new technologies such as manure processing.
Techniques range from simple separation into solids and liquids,
to more advanced techniques processing the slurry into clean
water and high quality organic fertilisers. This is often
combined with techniques for energy recovery. Groups of farmers
have invested in cooperative projects - notably in Belgium,
the Netherlands and Spain.
A report
on the implementation of the Directive is carried out every
four years, based on information from national authorities.
In 2008-2009, all 27 Member States made formal submissions
for the period 2004-2007.
Download
the report - Click
Here
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