EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 The present emphasis on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania should be the prevention of future pollution with nitrates by agriculture. Reduction of present levels of  pollution is also an important issue, however taking into account the low density of livestock in Lithuania it is recommended to concentrate on the elimination of “hot spots” and not on general reduction of diffused pollution. 

The Strategy for the implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania is based on Environmental Protection Strategy, Lithuanian Strategy for Development of Agriculture and analysis of implementation of Nitrates Directive in EU Member States.

Analysis of available data indicates that deep groundwaters in Lithuanian are not polluted by nitrates. In shallow groundwater aquifers nitrate concentration reaches 50 mg/l limit in few locations, however in order to obtain more detailed information on pollution of shallow aquifers by nitrates the monitoring programme should be extended. Water is polluted by nitrates in a number of shallow dug wells but the existing data is not yet sufficient to assess to which extent the quality of water in shallow dug wells is affected by the activities in agricultural fields. Programmes are being developed to address these issues.

The eutrophication of the Curonian lagoon and the Baltic Sea are the main problems caused by pollution of surface waters by nitrates. These problems are recognised internationally (HELCOM). Nitrates are one of the key factors influencing the  eutrophication of the Curronian lagoon and the Baltic Sea.

The amount of nitrogen used in agriculture in Lithuania per hectare of agricultural land is several times lower than the limits set in the Nitrates Directive. Implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania should therefore initially focus on prevention measures that  clearly define environmental requirements for newly established or expanding farms. These measures will enable to control the extent of nitrate pollution from the agricultural sources when Lithuanian agriculture recovers.

Existing Lithuanian legislation does not allow for complete transposition of the provisions of the Nitrates Directive. Draft regulations have been developed, and when adopted, this set of regulations will fully transpose requirements of the Nitrate Directive into national legislation. Transposition of the Nitrates Directive will be simpler if decision is made to develop Action Programmes for the whole national territory (Amendment to the Water Law will not be needed).

The information on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive in EU Member States indicates that there has been no uniform strategy of implementation. Nitrates directive infringement actions taken by the Commission against the Member States indicate that the majority of the States face problems with implementation of the Nitrates Directive, in particular with development of the Action Programmes in the nitrate vulnerable zones.

Implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania should focus on the elimination of pollution from the “hot spots” and on prevention measures which should be applied in newly established farms and farms that expand their animal production. It is recommended to establish these measures in the Action Programmes. It is also recommended that Action Programmes establish clear criteria for the selection of farms eligible for support for implementation of environmental measures. The criteria should enable the selection of competitive, viable farms that would be able to work effectively in the future. It is recommended to give priority to the farms that are expanding their animal production and investing in modernisation of technologies.

It is recommended to implement the requirements of the Nitrates Directive according to the following priorities (listed in order of importance):

 The major costs for implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania are associated with installation of manure storage facilities, acquisition of manure spreaders and education of farmers of the practical application of the Code of Good Agricultural Practices. The preliminary cost assessment indicates that the investment costs for installation of manure storage facilities and education of farmers will be approximately 614 million. Lt. The estimated yearly benefits to agriculture from improved manure management is estimated to be 66 million Litas, therefore the annual net cost to agriculture is 5 million Litas. Part of this investment could be subsidised up to 50% by the SAPARD programme.

The costs of implementing environmental measures in agriculture will be reduced if separate nitrate vulnerable zones are designated, however the costs of environmental measures in nitrate vulnerable zones should not be compared to zero costs in non-vulnerable zones because some measures defined in the Code of Good Agricultural Practice will need to be implemented regardless of vulnerability of the zone. These are the measures already established in national regulations that were developed in line with the HELCOM recommendations.

At present the situation in the agricultural sector is changing very rapidly, therefore for planning of investments at this stage it is recommended to use unit costs (investment costs at farm level). When developing the Financing strategy of the Nitrates Directive it is recommended to also estimate the long term benefits that farmers will receive due to improved manure management techniques.

Analysis of available data indicates that the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania can be implemented under both scenarios: by designating discrete nitrate vulnerable zones or by applying an Action Programme for the whole territory of Lithuania. For the discrete vulnerable zone scenario it is recommended to designate as vulnerable 91.2% of the national territory, namely: Nemunas river basin, river basin of direct tributaries of the Baltic Sea and Musa-Nemunelis river basin.

Designation of discrete nitrate vulnerable zones will reduce costs for application of environmental measures in agriculture, but on the other hand it will increase monitoring and administration. Reports submitted to the EU Commission will need to be more detail. The decision to develop an Action Programme for the whole territory of Lithuania is recommended. It can always be changed under the Directive’s review process in the future.

Regardless of the strategy chosen it is recommended to continue investigations on sources of pollution of the shallow dug wells and to develop an action programme for improvement of their water quality. If it is decided to designate discrete vulnerable zones in future these investigations should be more detail.

When implementing the requirements of the Nitrates Directive in Lithuania it is recommended to take into account the specific conditions applying to Lithuania: small amounts of nitrogen used in agriculture, the rapid changes currently occurring in farm structure and the timetable for implementation of Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, which has a bearing on responsibilities in relation to monitoring and control. It is therefore recommended to implement the requirements of the Nitrates Directive via two four-year Action Programmes, which will best take account of the developing situation. The first Programme should focus on the implementation of low cost preventive measures in all farms. Enforcement of the high cost measures (i.e. establishment of manure storage facilities) should also be started during the first Action Programme and continued and completed during the second action Programme.

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