A more flexible approach at farm level is needed in countries which have nitrates vulnerable zones, such as Ireland, according to an EU report.

The Nitrates Directive Implementation Report said that such flexibility should increase farmers’ ownership and engagement on nitrates.

However, this flexibility must be accompanied by targets, effective advice, stricter enforcement mechanisms and accurate nutrient management planning.

The EU-wide report found that the Nitrates Directive has been successful in reducing water pollution caused by nitrates in both surface and groundwater over the last 20 years. Eutrophication has also decreased.

The highest percentage of polluted groundwater stations are found in Malta, Germany, and Spain. The highest percentage of freshwater polluted stations are found in Malta, Belgium and Britain.

On average, the livestock density in EU28 was 0.73 LU/ha in 2013 (the latest figures available). Compared with 2010, the average livestock density in EU28 had decreased (-2.9%). The highest relative reductions in density took place in Greece (-18.9%), Malta (-17.9%) and Denmark (-14.4%), while the highest increases happened in Austria (+7.2%), Ireland (+4.5%), Finland (+3.7%) and Germany (+3.5%).

The use of animal nitrogen manure in 2012-2014 was 2.6% lower than the 2008-2011 reporting period.

Similarly, the use of animal manure phosphate reduced by 3.1%. The total use of mineral nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers in the EU28 increased respectively by 4% and 6% between the reporting periods 2008-2011 and 2012-2015.

Despite the positive trend in water quality, nitrates still put significant pressure on aquatic habitats.

Applications down

Meanwhile, there were almost 100 fewer Nitrates Derogation applications this year, compared with 2017.

The number of applications made by the 1 May deadline was 6,910. This is a slight reduction on the 7,004 applications received in 2017.

The deadline was extended by 24 hours after the Department’s IT functions for uploading documents or fertiliser accounts experienced difficulty on the original deadline date.

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EU report: Nitrates Directive effective at limiting water pollution

Map: farm areas targetted for water quality improvements