The Politics of Shit: regulation of liquid manure application in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony

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Abstract
The 1980 EC Drinking Water Directive limiting the amount of nitrate in drinking water to50mg/l can hardly be implemented without preventive measures in the application of nitrogen fertilizers and manure in regions with intensive farming. As yet, however, this has not been worked out at the EC level. One of the first mandatory regulations has thus been introduced in some West German states concerning the amount of and the timespan over which liquid manure may be applied. Even though the liquid manure regulation in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony is characterised as smooth and conciliatory towards farmers, it can be seen as an attempt to control nitrate emissions into ground water. Despite their shortcomings, the Liquid Manure Ordinance and the Liquid Manure Directive stand out as positive examples of at least partial applications of the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

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