The European Commission plans no new relaxations of the general limit for spreading manure on fields. Instead, in a review of the Nitrates Directive published Wednesday, it urged countries to do more in areas hit by nitrate pollution.
This counters calls from some farmer groups who see increased manure use as a way to reduce the need for expensive artificial fertilizers.
In its evaluation, the Commission finds that the rules from 1991 are still “necessary, relevant and effective,” and need no major rewrite, having helped to reduce and prevent water pollution.
However, in some situations, the general manure ceiling, 170 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, hasn’t been enough to prevent “a large nutrient imbalance” caused by concentrated animal farming, the review finds. Special carve-outs given to some countries might also have made it worse.
