Agrarministerkonferenz: Agrarminister einigen sich auf neue Dünge-Regelung
Die Belastung des Grundwassers mit Nitrat durch intensive Landwirtschaft ist seit Jahrzehnten ein Problem. Der Vorschlag der Agrarminister der Länder stößt vor allem bei Wasserversorgern auf Kritik.
Landes Minister of Agriculture have reached an agreement on a new regional model for future fertilizer rules in agriculture. Previously, "Red Zones" with high nitrate contamination were to be discontinued. Instead, regional solutions from individual federal states will take their place, placing more emphasis on the polluter pays principle, said Michaela Kaniber, head of the Agricultural Ministers Conference from Bavaria.
However, the move has faced criticism from water providers and nature conservation groups. The Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) stated that water protection requires uniform rules nationwide, as city utilities provide 90% of the German population with drinking water. They particularly emphasized that nobody wants to endanger their food source, especially their farmers.
On the other hand, the German Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) feared increased bureaucracy, predicting that what appears to be flexibility might turn into a bureaucratic monster, harming groundwater protection more than it helps. Approximately one in ten German farms operates across federal state borders. If future regulations lead to different stipulations for fertilizer application by country, farms would need to follow different rules, deadlines, and proof requirements depending on the location of their fields.
The old regulation was deemed necessary after the Federal Administrative Court upheld a lawsuit initiated mainly by the Bavarian Farmers' Association, repealing the previous regulation with its "Red Zones." Lower Saxon Agriculture Minister Miriam Staudte (Green) stressed the need for a swift implementation of the new regulation to resolve legal uncertainties promptly.
Bundesagrarminister Alois Rainer (CSU) expressed satisfaction with the achieved compromise, stating that it strengthens water protection and the polluter pays principle, while also meeting EU requirements. Kaniber advocated for consistent support for farmers when it comes to environmentally friendly barn construction, stating that anyone who wants food security must also allow farmers to implement these practices.
The proposal for a 20-year safeguard for barn construction faced failure according to information from Green Agriculture Ministers.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
