APE highlights the devastating impact of nitrate pollution on Europe’s water resources at the European Parliament
Aqua Publica Europea highlights the urgent challenge of nitrate pollution, which threatens drinking water sources, at a policy event hosted by MEP David Cormand at the European Parliament.
On 22 May, Aqua Publica Europea participated in the policy event “Watering the Future: Improving Agricultural Practices for Water Resilience”, hosted at the European Parliament by MEP David Cormand, to highlight the urgent challenge of nitrate pollution, which threatens drinking water sources, two-thirds of which come from groundwater in the EU.
Member States report that 23% of groundwater body area is not in good chemical status; major pollutants causing failure are nitrates and pesticides. Nitrates are the biggest pollutant in groundwater bodies, reported as affecting 14% of groundwater area, and they also cause surface water bodies to become eutrophic.
Nitrate pollution mainly comes from intensive agriculture and livestock farming through the improper or excessive use of fertilisers as well as slurries and manures. Data show that results in reducing nitrate pollution have stagnated. Average concentrations of nitrates in groundwater have not been reduced over the period 2000-2021.
The costs of nitrogen leaching from agriculture in the EU have been estimated at €6.1bn a year for drinking water and €7.7bn year for surface water. This takes into account human health impacts from cancers caused by nitrite pollution and damage to ecosystems and loss of amenity to householders with waterfront properties and recreational water users resulting from eutrophication.
We put forward three key actions needed to address this crisis:
- Ensure full implementation and enforcement of the Nitrates Directive: Water quality data show that the level of implementation and enforcement are still not sufficient. The European Court of Auditors has noted implementation gaps, whilst the Parliament has called on the Commission to improve the use of its enforcement powers in respect of the Nitrates Directive.
- Strengthen the protection of water catchment areas: The agricultural sector must adopt more sustainable organic and agroecological practices, especially in water catchment areas. According to figures from IFOAM Organics Europe, organic farming cuts nitrate leaching by 28-39% by banning mineral nitrogen fertilisers.
- Develop a financial framework that supports pollution prevention at the source: Financial incentives and support for farmers adopting sustainable agricultural practices must be strengthened in the CAP and an EPR scheme for producers of synthetic fertilisers should be implemented to shift control and remediation costs to polluters.
