Flemish Parliament approves seventh manure action plan
The Flemish Parliament approved the seventh version of the Manure Action Plan (MAP) on Wednesday evening. The plan aims to tackle nitrogen pollution and improve water quality in Flanders.
Europe has long urged Flanders to take action against poor water quality and in particular nitrate pollution from agriculture. Just last summer, the European Commission took Belgium to the European Court of Justice because Flanders had not taken sufficient action against it.
Flanders is trying to tackle the issue with successive manure action plans. These plans contain obligations for farmers and horticulturists regarding the production and processing of manure. But the current plan, MAP6, expired at the end of 2022. MAP7 was only agreed in principle in March 2023, and talks then stalled.
The latest version of the manure action plan has now finally been approved by Parliament. It includes buffer zones along watercourses, lower fertiliser standards, less use of animal manure by reducing the pig population and increasing the proportion of crops that are not sensitive to nitrates.
Compromises
The government has also had to compromise on some controversial measures. These include the much-discussed zero fertilisation in the Flemish Ecological Network, "a network of the most beautiful natural areas in Flanders". Zero fertilisation in these areas will not be enforced, but farmers who voluntarily do not fertilise will receive compensation.
The text also includes a less strict version of calendar farming, which requires farmers to apply fertiliser and harvest at specific times. This has long been a thorn in the side of farming organisations, who say the timetable is not flexible enough. The text allows for certain deviations due to weather conditions "to avoid calendar farming".
#FlandersNewsService | Flemish Minister for Agriculture and Environment Jo Brouns. © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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