Nitrates Directive
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The 1991 Nitrates Directive (91/676/EC) is one of the earliest pieces of EU legislation aimed at controlling pollution and improving water quality and forms integral part of the Water Framework Directive.
Main objectives
The Nitrate Directive aims to protect water quality across Europe by preventing nitrates from agricultural sources polluting ground and surface waters (nitrate is perhaps the most widespread groundwater contaminant and originates from natural sources, organic sources, atmospheric deposition, and inorganic fertilizer) and by promoting the use of good farming practices.
Implementations
- Identification of surface waters and groundwater affected by pollution (or at risk) based on criteria described by the Directive (specifically when the concentration of nitrates in groundwater or surface water (especially those intended for drinking water) reaches more than 50 mg/l or when the surface water found to be eutrophic (or could become eutrophic)
- Designation of nitrate vulnerable zones
designate vulnerable zones, which are all known areas of land in their territories
which drain into the identified waters. The Nitrates Directive provides a possibility
for Member States to be exempted from the requirement to designate vulnerable
zones if the action programmes are applied to the whole of their national territory;
• establish a code of good agricultural practice to be implemented by farmers on a
voluntary basis, which shall include the measures detailed in Annex II to the Directive;
• set up compulsory action programmes to be implemented by all farmers who
work in vulnerable zones. These programmes must contain the measures listed in
the good agricultural practice codes, as well as the additional measures listed in
Annex III to the Directive, which aim to limit the land application of mineral and organic
fertilisers containing nitrogen, as well as land application of livestock manure.
The Directive authorises Member States to take additional measures or to reinforce
their action programmes in order to achieve the objectives of the Directive.
Member States must monitor water quality, applying standardised reference methods
to measure the nitrogen-compound content.
The Commission has provided Member States with recommendations on monitoring
methods and on the information which must be included in their reports on the
application of this Directive. These reports shall be submitted by Member States to
the Commission every four years.
