Environment Minister Schulze: fertilizer really quickly exacerbate News

In the fight against too much nitrate in the groundwater, the EU is demanding from Germany more stringent requirements for Fertilizing. The farmers protest, the environment Minister Schulze wants the fertilizer is really tightened up fast.

In the case of the fertilization of their fields have to reckon with the peasants in Germany in the future, with more stringent requirements. The tightening of the Düngerechts, presented by the Federal government in the past few weeks, is the EU to lax Commission. Further Amendments were necessary, confirmed a spokesperson of the Ministry of agriculture. The EU calls until the end of March, further action. The Federal environment Minister, Svenja Schulze (SPD) is pushing for quick Action by the coalition.

"Clean water is important"

in view of the renewed pressure from Brussels, Schulze wants the fertilizer is really tightened up fast. Background the nitrate pollution of the groundwater. "Clean water is a great Good. Therefore, we need to ensure that the over-fertilization of the Fields to stop," said the SPD politician of the German press Agency. To avoid "expensive penalty payments to the EU, needs to improve, the Federal government is the fertilizer really quickly."

the EU wants. stricter rules

Germany has been in Trouble with the EU, because in many places the limit values for nitrate in groundwater are exceeded The damage to the Ecosystems and can complicate the extraction of drinking water. The main source for fertilizer from agriculture, such as manure. In 2017, the Federal government had tightened up after a long Back-and-Forth, the fertilizer leeches. At the beginning of this year, Berlin suggested on pressure of the EU Commission's more stringent rules, which should occur in may 2020.

the Federal environment Minister, Schulze (SPD) calls on the government exacerbated the fertilizer really fast.

But Brussels is not enough. Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella announced the rules, "not ambitious enough" and calls to accelerate the legislative process. He also criticized that the German authorities had not committed to at the beginning of March to "further necessary changes in the law". He calls for improvements in the fertilizer blackout periods and the use of fertilizers to steeply sloping soils. If Germany violates the nitrate against EU regulations, threatening costly fines.

defaults need to be practicable) be

For the EU-procedure is Schulze's Ministry of the environment responsible for the fertilizer law, but the Federal Minister of agriculture, Julia Klöckner (CDU. Schulze said the German press Agency: "I am sure that the discussion with the fertilizer really responsible Federal state Ministry of economic Affairs on this issue remains as constructive as in the past."

Klöckner announced, in early April, at a rally of farmers in Münster. The aim is to demonstrate that groundwater protection was all that the EU is doing requirements and these would need to be practical, she wrote on Twitter.

the Sharp criticism from the farmers

Sharp criticism of a tightening of the fertilizer Ordinance from the German farmers Association. He fears, in addition to economic losses for the farmers is also an "under-supply of the cultivated plants" in Germany, which could also result in more food must be imported to Germany.

The Association of municipal companies (VKU), in the drinking water suppliers are organized, welcomed, however, the pressure from Brussels. "We need significantly more efforts to reduce the Nitrates in our waters," said VKU Vice President Karsten Specht. If the costs for treatment of drinking water increases, the water supply more expensive. Securing the resources needed to be at the top.