What EU Nitrates Directive 91/676/EEC - Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, Action Programmes and Code of Good Agricultural Practice requires
Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (Nitrates Directive) is one of the earliest pieces of EU water legislation and remains a cornerstone of agricultural water pollution control. Article 3 requires Member States to designate Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) covering all areas of land draining into waters identified as polluted (or could become polluted) by nitrates from agricultural sources, with nitrate concentrations above 50 mg/l or showing eutrophication. Member States may alternatively designate the whole national territory as NVZ (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands and Slovenia have done so in full or substantially). Article 4 requires Code of Good Agricultural Practice (CGAP) for voluntary application across whole territory. Article 5 requires mandatory Action Programmes in NVZs every four years covering periods when fertiliser application prohibited, storage capacity for livestock manure, limits on application based on crop requirements and an upper limit of 170 kg/ha/year of nitrogen from livestock manure (with derogations possible under Annex III conditions). The Directive is implemented in close coordination with the Water Framework Directive and Common Agricultural Policy conditionality.
Pillar: Water & Environmental Resources · Authority: European Commission DG ENV (water policy) and DG AGRI (CAP coordination); Member State competent authorities under environment and agriculture ministries; European Environment Agency · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31991L0676
SHA-256 integrity: 20e5bf90014d21e27bd3466eccfcdcf8b2a14dca182e59905ae3462606bb8ffd
Primary Citations — 7 traced to source
- Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (Nitrates Directive), OJ L 375 of 31.12.1991 - Articles 3 polluted water identification and NVZ designation, 4 CGAP, 5 Action Programme, 6 monitoring, 10 reporting; Annexes I (criteria), II (CGAP elements), III (mandatory measures), IV (monitoring methods)
- Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (Water Framework Directive), OJ L 327 of 22.12.2000 - parent water policy framework providing river basin district structure and Programme of Measures coordination
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