Area types nitrate manure decree, 01/01/2023

Since 1 January 2019, a new Manure Decree has been in force in Flanders, the ‘Decree amending the Decree of 5 April 1995 laying down general provisions on environmental policy and the Manure Decree of 22 December 2006, as regards the implementation of the Sixth Manure Action Programme’. Europe encouraged Flanders to adopt a more thorough approach to the protection of surface and groundwater. The Manure Decree, also known as MAP 6 (Mest Action Plan 6), aims to reduce water pollution by nitrates and phosphates from agricultural sources and to prevent further pollution. The Mestbank department of the Flemish Land Company (VLM) implements this decree. The area type classification in MAP 6 replaces the former demarcation of the focus areas nitrate manure decree. The new division consists of four types of area and there are different area-oriented measures. The 6th Manure Action Plan (MAP 6) provides for a biennial review of the classification of the area types. This is done on the basis of the latest nitrate measurements in the surface and groundwater in agricultural area, carried out by the Flemish Environmental Society. The new map of area types that will apply in the period 2023-2024 was established by the Flemish Government on 3 February 2023. Specifically, the area types of nitrate manure decree are defined as follows: — Offflow zones of the Flemish water bodies as a base These zones are used as a geographical base unit for the classification into the different types of area. In total, there are 274 drainage zones, depending on the assessment of the quality of surface and groundwater, each run-off zone is divided into one of the four area types. — Surface water assessment The assessment of surface water quality is the departure base. The average nitrate concentration of the MAP measurement points is the indicator to assess the overall impact of agriculture on surface water quality in a given flow zone. The target value for the mean nitrate concentration is 18 mg nitrate/l. This target value is derived from data analysis and is the translation of the limit value for nitrate nitrogen between good and moderate surface water quality status from the Water Framework Directive. This limit is 10 mg nitrate nitrogen/l, which corresponds to 44.3 mg nitrate/l, as the 90th percentile value. This means that 90 % of the measurements must meet this limit value. Depending on the target distance to the target value, each run-off zone shall be divided into one of the four area types of surface water. — Groundwater assessment The average nitrate concentration in the upper filter of the groundwater measurement points is a good indicator to assess the overall impact of agriculture on groundwater quality in a given drain zone. Due to the longer journey times to groundwater, the trend of nitrate concentration in the area type classification for groundwater is also taken into account. — Area type classification based on surface and groundwater In order to achieve a definitive delimitation, the delimitation based on the surface water criterion is combined with the groundwater criterion. The area type classification based on surface water forms the basis and is increased by + 1 (up to a maximum of 3) depending on the result of the groundwater assessment. Exit zones that are area type 0 after the combination of surface and groundwater but where the 90th percentile value of all measurements in surface water measurement points (based on winter years 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019) is higher than 44.3 mg nitrate/l are additionally referred to as area type 1.