Malta’s groundwater and surface water are the EU’s most polluted by nitrates according to an EU study.

According to the European Commission’s latest report on the Nitrates Directive, Malta and Germany have the EU’s most polluted groundwater by nitrates, while Malta’s surface water – along with those of the United Kingdom and Belgium – is also the EU’s most polluted.

Agricultural pressures on water quality are still constantly increasing in some areas, as some intensive agricultural practices are heavily dependent on fertilisers that cause local water quality to deteriorate. Several member states and regions still have a high percentage of nitrate-polluted and eutrophic waters.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said this week: “I am very pleased to see that longstanding efforts to reduce pollution from nitrates in water are paying off. But we still have a huge task ahead to bring Europe's waters to good status by 2015. Nitrates put severe pressure on biodiversity, and on the waters and land underpinning our agriculture and economic activities. We need to step up efforts to achieve further significant reductions in nutrient releases. This requires managing the nutrient cycle in a more sustainable and resource-efficient way. In particular, we need to improve efficiency in the use of fertilisers. The longer we wait, the more it will cost, to the economy and the environment.”

National measures, such as balanced fertilisation and sustainable manure management, which aim to provide the right amount of nutrients to crops, continue to improve. However, in sectors like horticultural production, farmers are still not sufficiently encouraged to reduce use of nitrates-based fertilizers. New energy crops, the biogas industry, the intensification of livestock production and horticulture are identified in the report as challenging areas that will require further attention and reinforced measures in the future.

Understanding of the problem has also increased, thanks to training programmes and campaigns to raise awareness of the need for water protection measures at the farm level carried out by member states.

Excessive concentrations of nitrates from livestock such as pig, cow and poultry manure and crops fertilisation leaches into waters causing algal blooms, disrupting aquatic ecosystems, causing air pollution and threatening biodiversity. This puts human health at risk notably by polluting drinking water and has economic impacts as it impedes ecosystem services provided by water bodies. More than 20 years ago the EU recognised the problem, adopting the Nitrates Directive, which promotes good agricultural practices across Europe by reducing water pollution from nitrates from agricultural sources.

Malta recently published its Nitrates Action Programme, which had warned that nitrate levels in ground water exceed the permissible level of 50 milligrams per litre limit. In Zebbug (Gozo) for instance, nitrate levels are more than six times the acceptable levels. The scenario is similar for Xaghra and in the coastal area of Pwales, where the limit is exceeded by more than seven times.

Only three water sources, including the Mizieb perched aquifer and Comino, had an acceptable level of nitrates that did not exceed the limit. 

The aquifer cycle is calculated to be some 40 years. As a result, even if farming practices are completely changed and precise practices start to be used, the effects will still not be seen for many years.

It is estimated that farmers growing watermelons can save €100 per tumulo of land by cutting down on excess fertilisers, said Neville Mercieca from the Agricultural Department, to illustrate that improved crop cultivation practices save money.

In Malta, the limit of 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare as stipulated in the Nitrate Directive is being exceeded in almost all fields where irrigated vegetables are cultivated. Moreover, studies clearly indicate that vegetable crops with high irrigation requirements (and high water content) are highly over-fertilised.

Only carrots and forage are not over fertilised with nitrates. 

Over-application of nitrogen and non-compliance with the limit is a serious problem on irrigated land, the Nitrates Action Programme points out.

Similarly, some farms are still not up to standard with regard to the storage of animal waste. Rainwater that seeps into manure percolates into the water table adding to excess nitrates.

All stakeholders need to join forces with the government in implementing the action programme, Mr Pullicino explained. He also spoke about the need for all farmers and herdsmen to understand why new practices are necessary for the plan to be successful. 

The Nitrates Action Programme specifies the need for farmers and herdsmen to start keeping records of when and how fertilisers are applied. Details of importation and transportation systems are also to be given, as should the storage of manure.

Obligatory courses for farmers, certified by the Malta Standards Authority, will be organised for the action plan and its contents to be transposed and explained as clearly as possible. The plan is to create a Farmers Advisory Services where courses can be organised by farmers’ associations themselves.

The document can be downloaded from the ministry’s website: www.mrra.gov.mt.