The Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), has approved the update of the royal decree on pollution produced by nitrates, a key standard for reduce the problems of this type of pollution in water masses and achieve the environmental objectives set forth by national legislation, set through basin plans, and the European Union.
The European Union considers pollution from non-point sources as a central problem in its environmental and agricultural policies. For this reason, it has proposed strategies such as the so-called “From the farm to the table”, aligned with the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 of the European Green Deal, which contribute to tackling this problem.
These lines of action mark, among other objectives, a 50% reduction in contamination due to excess nutrients, which will mean a 20% reduction in the use of fertilizers. To achieve these goals, European strategies propose the development of an action plan for nutrient management, which is particularly relevant in the case of Spain.
The update of the royal decree establishes more ambitious criteria than the current ones to better identify the waters affected by nitrates:
- Agricultural, urban and other pressures that may be considered significant will be studied, as well as the impacts recorded on the waters.
- The responsibilities corresponding to the different public administrations are established. The obligations must be assumed by the water authorities and the agrarian authorities, both within the scope of the General State Administration and that of the autonomous communities, the latter being the ones who hold the specific competences in agriculture, livestock and protection management. of the environment in the territory.
- The autonomous communities will also develop codes of good agricultural practices that farmers will apply compulsorily in vulnerable areas, in order to reduce the pollution produced by nitrates of agricultural origin. Training and information for farmers will be included.
More information at:
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