Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC)
The aim of Council Directive No 91/676/EEC is to protect water from contamination by nitrates from agriculture.
The Directive requires measures for the implementation of which the Member States are responsible:
- Monitoring of surface water and groundwater
- Designation of endangered areas or application on the entire territory
- Establishment of rules of good agricultural practice and action programmes
- Review of the designation of endangered areas and the action programmes at least every four years
The Nitrates Directive is one of the key instruments for protecting water against nitrate pollution from agriculture.
In implementation of the Nitrates Directive, the Ordinance on the Action Programme for the Protection of Waters against Pollution by Nitrates from Agricultural Sources (Nitrate Action Programme Ordinance - NAPD), Federal Law Gazette II No. 385/2017, which amended the Nitrate Action Programme 2012, was enacted.