HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 13/11
Adopted 6 February 1992, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention
REDUCTION OF FARM WASTE DISCHARGES
THE COMMISSION,
RECALLING Paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974 (Helsinki Convention), in which the Contracting Parties undertake to take all appropriate measures to control and minimize land-based pollution of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area,
HAVING REGARD also to Article 3 of the Helsinki Convention, in which the Contracting Parties shall individually or jointly take all appropriate legislative, administrative or other relevant measures to prevent and abate pollution,
RECALLING FURTHER the Ministerial Declaration of 1988 and the Baltic Sea Declaration of 1990, calling, inter alia, for a substantive reduction of the inputs caused by diffuse sources,
RECOGNIZING the fact that a substantial part of the eutrophication problems observed in the Baltic Sea Area is caused by nutrient inputs from diffuse sources,
DESIRING to limit this pollution,
RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties that:
a)farm animal houses and similar enclosures for animals shall be designed in such a way that ground water and surface water will not be polluted:
-floors should be made of waterproof materials;
-floors should be constructed to resist the impact of animals and tools;
-appropriate draining and collection of liquid manure should be established,
b)storages should be constructed to safeguard against unintentional spillages:
-solid manure should be stored in dung yards with waterproof floor and side walls;
-manure effluents should be drained off through outlet pipes and collected in liquid manure storages,
c)effluents from the preparation and storage of silage should be collected and directed to storages for liquid manure,
d)containers for liquid manure and farm waste should be made of strong material impermeable to moisture,
e)storages and containers should be made of strong materials as to resist the impact of filling and emptying operations,
f)programmes should be developed and action taken to implement the above mentioned measures and to report on the effect of these measures or any other measures taken to reduce farm waste discharges,
RECOMMENDS ALSO that the actions stated in a) - f) should be implemented by the Contracting Parties within 5 years,
RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the actions taken by the Contracting Parties, e.g. economic incentives, recommendations, regulations, agricultural advice, should be reported to the Commission in 1994 and thereafter every three years.