7           Follow up activities

The next steps for implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania will be the development of the Action Programmes, detailed assessment of costs for their implementation and the development of a financing programme. Later on implementation activities should focus on building the capacity of institutions responsible for control of implementation and organisation of education programmes farmers.

7.1         Development of action programmes 

Article 5 of the Nitrate Directive requires the establishment of Action Programmes in respect of designated vulnerable zones. The structure of the Action Programmes will be the same regardless of the decision to designate discrete nitrate vulnerable zones or develop action programmes for the whole territory of Lithuania. The Directive allows the development of one Action Programme for all nitrate vulnerable zones or different action programmes for individual zones. The Member States themselves decide upon the environmental measures to be included in the farms.

Annex III of the Directive defines the following measures to be included in the action programmes: 

1.      Periods when land application of certain types of fertiliser is prohibited; 

2.      The capacity of storage vessels for livestock manure;

3.      Limitation of the land application of fertilisers

At the very beginning of the development of the Action Programmes it is recommended to make a detailed analysis of agricultural activities and to define requirements that will become mandatory for the farms under Article 5 and other regulations. The measures should focus on reduction of current impact to the environment and prevention of pollution the future. It is also recommended to conduct an analysis of regional differences in agriculture which would serve as a basis for a decision regarding the number of Action Programmes to be developed (separate regional action programmes versus one action programme for all nitrate vulnerable zones).

When developing Action Programmes for implementation of the Nitrates Directive it is also recommended to carry out a detailed assessment of costs of implementation of the action programmes and develop a financing programme. This analysis will help to evaluate feasibility of practical implementation of the action programmes.

7.2         Action programme to improve quality of water in shallow dug wells

Present data does not indicate a clear source of nitrates in the shallow wells. Pollution of shallow wells water by nitrates should most probably be attributed to both pollution from local gardening practices in the villages and diffuse pollution from agricultural activities outside the villages. However, if it is demonstrated that nitrate pollution of shallow wells is not induced by agricultural activities, the shallow wells problem falls outside the scope of Nitrates Directive. Therefore is recommended to carry out a specific research programme in order to define the source of shallow wells pollution by nitrates.

It should be noted that implementation of the Code of Good Agricultural Practice, and in accordance with the requirement of Article 5, alone will not solve the shallow wells problem, as the Codes do not regulate gardening practices in the individual allotments nor impose specific requirements for manure storage for hobby farms with small number of livestock (less than 10 LU). Specific action programmes should be designed to improve quality of drinking water in rural areas. In some areas the problem can be solved by public education and voluntary closure of wells with high nitrate concentration. However, installation of public water supply systems and setting of legal requirements to ensure the good quality of drinking water when selling the property are more realistic solutions.