• Corrigendum Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources for the period 2004-2007 [SEC (2011)909]

• Commission Staff Working Document on implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources based on Member State reports for the period 2004-2007, accompanying document to the Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament [SEC(2011)913]

• Fact sheet on the Nitrates Directive (EN version)

• Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources for the period 2000-2003 [COM(2007)120]

• Annexes to the Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources for the period 2000-2003

• Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources for the period 1996-1999 [COM(2002)407]

• Council Directive of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (91/676/EEC)

• Eutrophication and health (pdf~1,1M)

The Nitrates Directive (1991) aims to protect water quality across Europe by preventing nitrates from agricultural sources polluting ground and surface waters and by promoting the use of good farming practices.

The Nitrates Directive forms integral part of the Water Framework Directive and is one of the key instruments in the protection of waters against agricultural pressures.

The various steps of implementation of the Directive are:

1. Identification of polluted or threatened waters (N), such as:

• surface freshwaters, in particular those used or intended for the abstraction of drinking water, containing or that could contain a concentration of more than 50 mg/l of nitrates
• groundwater containing or that could contain more than 50 mg/l of nitrates
• freshwater bodies, estuaries, coastal waters and marine waters, found to be eutrophic or that could become eutrophic

2. Designation of "vulnerable zones" (NVZs), as

• areas of land which drain into polluted or threatened waters and which contribute to N pollution

3. Establishment of Code(s) of good agricultural practice, to be implemented by farmers on a voluntary basis. Code(s) includes:

• measures limiting the time when fertilizers can be applied on land, in order to allow N availability only when the crop needs nutrients;
• measures limiting the conditions for fertilizer application (steeply sloping ground, frozen or snow covered ground, near water courses);
• requirement for a minimum storage capacity for livestock manure;
• Crop rotations, soil winter cover, catch crops, in order to limit leaching during the wet seasons

4. Establishment Action Programmes, to be implemented by farmers within NVZs on a compulsory basis. The programmes include:

• measures already included in the Code(s) of good agricultural practice, which becomes mandatory in NVZs;
• Other measures such as limitation of fertilizers to be applied taking into account crops needs, all N inputs and soil supply,  maximum amount of animal manure to be applied (corresponding to 170 kg N organic/hectare/year)

5. National monitoring and reporting every 4 years on:

• Nitrates concentrations
• Eutrophication
• Assessment of Action Programmes impact
• Revision of NVZs and Action Programmes

The associated calendar for implementation is: