02/17/2022: Eleven associations and organizations of the "Nitrate Initiative" call on the new German government to consistently implement the EU Nitrate Directive. The reason for this is the current negotiations between the federal government or the federal states and the EU Commission to improve the fertilizer law in view of the ongoing EU infringement proceedings on the EU Nitrate Directive. The signatories include Aktion Agrar, BUND, BDEW, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Deutscher Naturschutzring, Germanwatch, Greenpeace, Grüne Liga, Global Nature Fund, Verdi and WWF.
Specifically, the organizations involved are calling for a new designation of nitrate-polluted and eutrophic areas based on concrete measured values, as the previous modeling is not EU-compliant. According to calculations available to the Nitrate Initiative, nitrate- and phosphate-polluted areas in the German states have so far been artificially reduced by up to 50 percent and necessary protective measures have been suspended. In addition, control of fertilization is not possible due to the lack of specifications in the Material Flow Balance Ordinance. As a result, around 24 percent of groundwater bodies still do not comply with the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive.
The organizations of the Nitrate Initiative also advocate, in particular, mandatory material flow balancing for all farms as well as the publication of manure imports and the presentation of a national catalog of measures to curb manure tourism. In addition, they expect an inclusion and publication of the defined measures for the reduction of nitrate and phosphate loads in the third management plans for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive as well as a definition of suitable water and environmentally compatible management measures for nitrate-polluted and eutrophic areas. "The Nitrates Directive must finally be implemented in such a way that the requirements of European law are met and agriculture has planning security. Of course, targeted support programs as well as cooperative approaches should continue to play an important role in this," the organizations added.
The "Nitrate Initiative" is a coalition of associations and organizations. For several years, it has been campaigning for an agricultural policy that protects the environment and water bodies. Of particular relevance is the implementation of the EU Nitrate Directive into national fertilizer law. The Nitrate Initiative includes: Aktion Agrar - Landwende jetzt, BUND, BDEW, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, DNR - Deutscher Naturschutzring, Germanwatch, Greenpeace, Grüne Liga - Netzwerk ökologischer Bewegungen, Global Nature Fund, NABU, Verdi, WWF.