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During the implementation of the first RBMPs, there were several examples of Member States strengthened action on reduction of nutrient pollution from agriculture (Table 6.2). Member States are implementing different kinds of measures, e.g. farm-level nutrient planning, setting fertiliser standards (e.g. timing), using appropriate tillage, using nitrogen-fixing and catch crops, setting aside buffer strips, and using crop rotation.
Other measures include livestock management through improved feeding (reduced phosphate compounds) and reduced grazing, as well as optimised manure management (increased manure storage, reduced use), and manure surplus management. Manure storage, in particular, can improve timing of application to minimise risks of excessive leaching to the water environment.
Several Member States are also supporting targeted green infrastructure such as constructed wetlands, sediment boxes and run-off ponds that capture and retain nutrient losses through agricultural drainage. River restoration and less-intensive land uses such as afforestation are also increasingly recognised as effective means to tackle diffuse pollution pressures as they increase nutrient retention and recycling.
Despite on-going action to curb diffuse pollution from agriculture, the European Commission estimated recently that measures taken under the Nitrates Directive were not enough to tackle significant pressures from diffuse sources to reach good ecological status[14], [15].
Table 6.2: Examples of measures on reducing pollution from diffuse sources
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River basin district or country |
Measures |
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Baltic Sea |
The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) and Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithunia) have introduced a wide range of measures to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture (Andersen et al. 2014) |
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Nitrate Directive implementation NW-EU Member States |
The impact of the Nitrate Directive implementation in the North-Western EU Member States has been reviewed for the period 1995-2008. The most significant environmental effect of the implementation of the NiD since 1995 is a major contribution to the decrease of the soil N balance (N surplus). This decrease is accompanied by a modest decrease of nitrate concentrations since 2000 in fresh surface waters in most countries (Grinsven et al. 2012). |
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Denmark |
A series of policy action plans have been implemented since the mid-1980s with significant effects on the surplus, efficiency and environmental loadings of N. Over the last 30 years the N-leaching from the field root zone has been halved, and N losses to the aquatic and atmospheric environment have been significantly reduced. However, there is still a major challenge in complying with the EU Water Framework and Habitats Directives (Dalgaard et al. 2014) |
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Leipzig, Germany |
Reduction of groundwater nitrate concentration from 40 mg to 20 mg per litre by incentivising organic farming and implementing hydrological measures in drinking water protected areas (BMUB/UBA, 2016) |
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Schleswig Holstein, Germany |
Nitrogen use has in some cases halved (i.e. from 120 to 60 kilograms per ha) at the level of individual farms (BMUB/UBA, 2016) |
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French Loire-Bretagne RBD |
Identification of priority catchments and focus on drinking water protected areas. Increase in the number of balanced manure plans on phosphorous from 53% to 81% between 2009-2012 (Loire-Bretagne RBMP 2015) |
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Ireland |
In addition to application standards required by the Nitrates Directive, no organic or chemical fertiliser nor soiled water can be applied when heavy rain is forecast within 48 hours or when the ground slopes steeply and there is a risk of water pollution (Amery and Schoumans 2014) |
Source: Andersen et al. 2014 Mitigating diffuse nitrogen losses in the Nordic-Baltic countries. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880914002990
Grinsven et al. 2012: Management, regulation and environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in northwestern Europe under the Nitrates Directive: a benchmark study. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/3072131
Dalgaard et al. 2014: Policies for agricultural nitrogen management—trends, challenges and prospects for improved efficiency in Denmark. http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/9/11/115002/meta
BMUB/UBA, 2016 Water Framework Directive The status of German waters 2015. https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/water-framework-directive
Loire-Bretagne RBMP 2015
Amery, F. and O.F. Schoumans, 2014. Agricultural phosphorus legislation in Europe. Merelbeke, ILVO, 45 p.
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The Danish Ministry of Environment and Food does not agree with the following sentence, "However, there is still a major challenge in compying with the EU Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive." It is a subjective assessment. Please delete.