As of 14.02.2020, the Regulation of 12 February 2020 (Journal Of Laws of 2020, item 243) on the adoption of the “Programme of measures to reduce water pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources and to prevent further pollution” entered into force.

The action programme includes:

1) measures and practices defined taking into account best available techniques, concerning agricultural practice, in particular, related to fertilisation processes, fertiliser management on farms, serving the objectives referred to in paragraph 1, including:

(a) the limitation of the agricultural use of fertilisers, including ways and conditions for fertilisation on frozen, water-logged, water-saturated or snow-covered soils, near-surface water and on steep slopes, and the balance between the foreseeable nitrogen demand of crops and the supply of nitrogen to crops from the soil and fertilisation,

(b) an indication of the periods when agricultural use of fertilisers is allowed, and of fertiliser rates and methods of fertilisation,

(c) specify conditions under which the use of certain fertilisers is prohibited,

(d) defining conditions for storage of livestock manure, including surface area and capacity of storage facilities,

(e) to plan the correct application of nitrogen to specific crops,

(f) establishing a list of intensive crops,

(g) determination of conversion factors of actual livestock units into livestock units,

(h) determination of the method of calculating livestock units and their average annual number,

(i) determination of the method of calculating the minimum size of storage places for livestock manure,

(j) determining the average annual manure production and nitrogen concentration by livestock species, age and productivity, and farming system,

(k) determination of the method for calculating the rate of mineral nitrogen fertilisers,

(l) determination of maximum nitrogen fertiliser application rates for the main crops,

(m) specifying the method for the determination of the amount of the annual application rate of livestock manure used for agricultural purposes containing not more than 170 kg N/ ha AA;

2) the documentation on the execution of the action programme;

3) the determination of the material and time schedule for implementing the measures referred to in point 1 (a-e).

 

Important information

Read about the current action programmes to reduce nitrogen runoff from agriculture into surface and groundwater.
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Read the Good Agricultural Practice Recommendations for voluntary application (to protect waters from pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources).
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