HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 9/3

(has been supplemented by HELCOM Recommendations 13/7-13/12 and 14/4) 

Adopted 15 February 1988, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention 

RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING MEASURES AIMED AT THE REDUCTION OF NUTRIENT DISCHARGES FROM AGRICULTURE 

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING that according to Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974, (Helsinki Convention), 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,

RECOGNIZING the importance of discharges from agriculture as sources of pollution of the marine environment by nutrients,

NOTING the increasing concentrations of nutrients in the marine environment causing negative effects on ecosystems including eutrophication and oxygen depletion,

DESIRING to achieve a significant reduction of this pollution by giving additional guidelines to HELCOM Recommendation 7/2 as a first step towards this reduction,

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention that:

a)         farming practice should be managed so as to favour the efficient use of the nutrients that are available in the agricultural system;

b)         farms with livestock production above a certain size should require approval with regard to environmental aspects;

c)         farming practice with regard to manure should be in accordance with the following principles:

(i)         the capacity of the storage facilities should be sufficiently large to ensure that manure need only be brought out when the plants can use the nutrients;

(ii)        the ammonia evaporation from the storage and use of liquid manure (urine and slurry) should be reduced by incorporating the manure without delay into the soil when it is used on bare soil;

(iii)       the application of manure on bare soil in the autumn should be restricted;

(iv)       the application of manure on frozen soil should be restricted;

d)         where it is possible a large part of the cultivated area should be covered by crops - for example winter seed, grass or catch crop - during the autumn and winter;

e)         programmes should be developed to control and monitor the effect of these measures, or any other measures taken to reduce nutrient discharges from agriculture, on the pollution load on the surface waters,

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the Contracting Parties should report on their national measures taken in accordance with this Recommendation and HELCOM Recommendation 7/2 by 1 March 1989 and at five-yearly intervals thereafter.