Overfertilization: One in four groundwater monitoring sites with excessive nitrate levels

Overfertilization: One in four groundwater monitoring sites with excessive nitrate levels

Nitrates primarily enter groundwater through fertilizers. Since the early 1990s, the EU has made regulations, which Germany has not adhered to. For years, the EU Commission pursued legal action against Germany, resulting in a judgment by the European Court of Justice in 2018, threatening high penalties for the Federal Republic.

Facing decreasing nitrate levels and promised further measures, the Brussels authority then halted their proceedings last year. "Our efforts to maintain clean groundwater with less and more targeted fertilization have been successful," explained Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens). "However, the nitrate report also shows that we are not yet at our goal."

The report indicates that, on average, 25.6% of monitoring stations show excessively high nitrate concentrations for the years 2020 to 2022. In the previous reporting period, this was 26.7%. "Where many animals are kept or a lot of vegetables are grown, there is still too much nitrate in the groundwater," Özdemir stated. "With the planned changes to the Fertilizer Law, we want to create further necessary improvements," added Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens).

The Bundestag passed the new Fertilizer Law at the beginning of June. It was supposed to have been completed the previous year, and it could still be further delayed. The Agriculture Committee of the Federal States recommended that the Bundesrat reject the law at its Friday session. In case of rejection, the text would go to the mediation committee between the Federation and the States.

The agricultural ministers of the States and the German Farmers' Association are particularly concerned about the so-called substance flow balance - the counterbalance of inputs and outputs of nutrients on agricultural land. Farms are supposed to keep records of how many nutrients are removed from the soil through farming practices and how many are supplied through fertilization to implement the polluter-pays principle in nitrate pollution.

"Not all agricultural businesses in the so-called Red Areas are the culprits of the problem," Özdemir stated regarding this. He therefore appealed to the States to approve the overhauled Fertilizer Law.

1. The European Union established regulations for groundwater measuring points in the 1990s, but Germany failed to comply with these regulations.
2. Cem Özdemir, the Federal Agriculture Minister, mentioned the European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgment in 2018, which threatened high penalties for Germany due to non-compliance with EU nitrate values.
3. The Federal Ministry for the Environment is responsible for the measurement of groundwater in Germany.
4. The EU Commission initiated legal action against Germany in the 1990s due to issues related to groundwater and nitrate values that did not adhere to EU regulations.
5. The new Fertilizer Law, aimed at addressing overfertilization and nitrate pollution, was passed by the Bundestag but faced further delays and was recommended for rejection by the Agriculture Committee of the Federal States.
6. The agricultural ministers and German Farmers' Association are concerned about the substance flow balance, a key factor in implementing the polluter-pays principle for nitrate pollution at groundwater measuring points.
7. Cem Özdemir stated that not all agricultural businesses in "Red Areas" are the primary cause of the problem, urging the States to approve the overhauled Fertilizer Law.

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