The Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers (COAG) has urged the European Commission to review and update the Nitrates Directive in order to promote greater use of local organic fertilizers and reduce dependence on external inputs, as stated in an informative note.
The European Commission has recently published the evaluation of Directive 91/676/EEC (known as the Nitrates Directive), in which it concludes that the current cap of 170 kilos of nitrogen per hectare from livestock manure should be maintained.
From COAG, the technical work prepared by Brussels is valued, but it is considered that this analysis represents a "missed opportunity" to adjust the legal framework to agricultural reality, technological advances, and the climatic context expected for 2026.
"We fully share the objective of protecting water quality and reducing nitrate pollution. However, maintaining unchanged a limit set more than thirty years ago ignores the significant advances made in manure management, precision agriculture, manure treatment, anaerobic digestion, digestate recovery, and nutrient monitoring systems," argued the livestock manager of COAG, Jaume Bernis.
In this context, the agricultural organization proposes to open a review process of the regulation that allows raising the threshold to 230 or 250 kg of nitrogen per hectare in those farms and areas capable of demonstrating, through scientific criteria and objective controls, a balance between nitrogen contributions and the actual needs of crops, the absence of impacts on water bodies, and the existence of fertilization plans based on soil and crop analysis.
COAG emphasizes that several member states have already achieved this type of exceptions in recent years. Ireland, for example, has been able to apply up to 250 kg N/ha in certain dairy cattle farms, while other countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), or Denmark have had different derogation regimes or specific authorizations, adapted to the characteristics of their production models and the environmental guarantees offered.
"This proposal would allow for better use of an organic-origin fertilizing resource, reduce dependence on imported mineral fertilizers, whose price and availability are affected by international volatility, and advance towards a more efficient circular economy and a reduction of fossil resources," stated the head of Livestock of the COAG Executive.