In the fight against too much nitrate in the groundwater, stricter conditions for fertilizing German farmers are increasing - and increasing displeasure from Europe. The background is a prolonged tug-of-war between Brussels and the German Ministry of Agriculture on how agriculture could reduce nitrate incorporation into waters.
The EU has earlier criticized Germany's approach as insufficient. As a result, the federal government has come up with proposals in recent weeks to tighten up fertilizer law. Problem: These proposals are too lax to the EU Commission. She has once again given Berlin a reprieve, but only until the end of March.
This in turn fuels discontent among German farmers - and could aggravate the tensions in the Federal Government and between the SPD and the CDU. Because: Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) shows understanding for the farmers. Water conservation is important, but must remain feasible for farmers. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD), however, urges rapid action by the coalition.
Britta Pedersen / ZB / dpa
CDU minister Julia Klöckner
"Not ambitious enough"
Especially in regions with pronounced agricultural use, the groundwater in Germany has been heavily contaminated with nitrate in many places for a long time. It comes mainly from fertilizer, such as manure. Plants need nitrate to grow. But if water is over-fertilized, it damages the plants and animals. Nitrite is also produced from nitrate and it is dangerous for your health.
Germany is having trouble with Brussels because at many measuring points the limit values for nitrate in groundwater are exceeded. Already in 2017, after a long dispute between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment, fertilizer was tightened. Because that was not enough from the EU's point of view, the German government made some progress in January and February. However, that was too timid for Brussels: in a letter from last Monday, Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said this was "not ambitious enough" and called for the legislative procedure to be speeded up.
He also criticized the fact that the German authorities had not committed at the beginning of March to "further legislative changes required", and called for improvements in the fertilizer-blocking periods and fertilization on steeply sloping soils. If Germany continues to violate EU regulations on nitrates, high fines could be paid to the government.
DPA
SPD Minister Svenja Schulze
Different interests in the coalition
Politically, this is complicated because the EU procedure is directed against the Ministry of the Environment, but the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the fertilizer. "In order to avoid expensive fines to the EU, the federal government must quickly improve the fertilizer," said Environment Minister Schulze.
Minister of Agriculture Klöckner announced, however, in early April to attend a protest rally of farmers in Münster. The point is to make it clear that groundwater protection concerns everyone, that the EU sets targets, but that they also have to be "workable", she wrote on Twitter.
In contrast, the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU), which organizes drinking water utilities, welcomed the pressure from Brussels. "We need significantly more efforts to reduce the nitrate entry into our waters," said VKU Vice President Karsten Specht.
Quarrel also about glyphosate
Elsewhere, both ministries clearly do not pull in the same direction. In the dispute over the approval of a weed poison with the controversial ingredient glyphosate, Minister of the Environment Schulze Minister of Agriculture Klöckner has just accused her of having acted unauthorized. "Usually we do it together, she has without the consent of my authorities as a permit issued," said Schulze the radio Germany. "That will not do." The coalition agreement clearly states that Germany should get out of Glyphosat.
The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, approved in February 18 pesticides for a limited period until the end of 2019. Among them is one that contains the controversial drug glyphosate. According to the Ministry of the Environment, requirements of the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) were disregarded, namely application rules for the creation of compensation areas, which should protect biodiversity.
The BVL, on the other hand, is right. The compensation areas should first have to be created after a preparation period - from January 2020 - but the authorization will only apply until the end of 2019. On the other hand, the Ministry of the Environment believes that the application provision should have been taken into account irrespective of the approval period.
In the coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD have agreed to significantly restrict the use of glyphosate-containing plant protection products "with the aim of fundamentally terminating the application as soon as possible". What exactly that means is disputed between Klöckner and Schulze. Glyphosate is suspected to be carcinogenic and damages biodiversity.