HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 13/8
Adopted 6 February 1992, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention
REDUCTION OF AMMONIA VOLATILIZATION FROM FIELD APPLICATION OF MANURE
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)slurry applied on bare soil should be directly incorporated by means of efficient equipment, e.g., direct injectors, trailing hoses with units for injection, or harrowing as soon as possible after application;
b)slurry added to growing crops should be applied by means of direct injectors or, in growing crops having a dense canopy, by means of efficient equipment, e.g.,trailing hoses;
c)urine should be applied by means of efficient equipment, e.g., trailing hoses, both on bare soil and on growing crops;
d)solid manure should be incorporated shortly after application;
e)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 ammonia volatilization from field application of manure,
RECOMMENDS ALSO that the actions stated in a) - e) 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.