The Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry announced details yesterday of an EU Life+ information and communications campaign for the proper use and management of nitrates in agriculture and livestock breeding.

Resources and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, together with parliamentary assistant Philip Mifsud addressed a news conference at a field in the Rabat/Siġġiewi area, explaining that the project is one of the measures aimed at addressing the problem of the high levels of nitrates in soil and groundwater by promoting change in the current farming and breeding practices.

The project’s key objectives include assisting farmers and livestock breeders to comply with the obligations of the Nitrates Directive, and making them aware of the negative impact of groundwater contamination (through the excessive application of nitrogen to the soil and the improper management of animal manure) on human health and the environment.

The project also aims to train farmers and livestock breeders with respect to the application of the correct amount of nitrogenous fertilisers and the proper management of animal manure with a view to reducing nitrogen levels in soil.

According to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s ‘The Environment Report Indicators 2010-2011’, nitrate levels exceeded the EU limit value of 50mg/l in 11 out of 15 groundwater bodies in both 2010 and 2011. The highest nitrate concentration (488mg/l) in 2011 was recorded at Pwales coastal groundwater body, with a 28.9% increase over the previous year.

The highest value in the perched aquifer was recorded at Żebbuġ, at 213.5mg/l, and nitrate concentrations in the mean sea level aquifer systems were also high.

In 2011 the mean nitrate level at the Malta mean sea level groundwater body was 64.2mg/l, down from 70.2mg/l in 2010, which indicates that the nitrate levels in this aquifer are relatively stable. The mean level recorded at the Gozo mean sea level groundwater body decreased slightly to 47.5mg/l.

By means of the EU Life+ project, the government will be reaching out to more than 2,500 farmers (part-time and full-time) and about 900 livestock breeders to inform them about their key obligations under the EU Nitrates Directive and the National Nitrates Action Plan, which are important instruments in the protection of water quality against nitrate pollution.

Farmers and livestock breeders will be given soil analysis kits to monitor the levels of nitrogen and other chemicals in the soil, and the data collected will be inserted into a national database. Although the farmers and breeders will only be obliged to carry out tests once every three years, the kit allows for the possibility of more frequent testing.

Minister Pullicino explained that a forum between the stakeholders has been set up as a means of monitoring the impact of the project and coming up with ways of improving it.

Compliance with the National Nitrates Action Plan will save farmers money; in fact, they will be given training on the implementation of a fertiliser plan, which will be based on the crop plan for a particular year. This plan will include details on the amount of fertilisers and animal manures that would need to be applied to the different crops in a particular year. In this way, the farmers will be helping to protect the environment while saving money on fertilisers by applying only the necessary amounts.