TL: Agriculture and Water - A Study (GP) SO: Greenpeace Germany DT: January 1991 Keywords: terrec agriculture water drinking germany europe gp greenpeace reports / The study covers the main conflicts between agriculture and the protection of water as a natural resource. On 100 pages, it explains how high yield industrial agriculture pollutes ground and surface waters with fertilizers, pesticides, and liquid manure. Included is an overview of the current situation of natural waters and drinking water in Germany. The study also deals with ground water contamination due to agricultural use of sewage sludge. A further chapter is included on the effects of irrigation in Germany these being a major problem in what used to be East Germany. The scope of the study is not limited to a mere description of the current problems. Existing legislation is therefore discussed and alternatives offered. One objective of the study is to convince politicians and officials concerned with water politics that immediate change is necessary and feasible. The detailed analysis of problems and alternatives is followed by a three page plea for a water-sensitive agriculture. In a condensed form, it contains the major agriculture-borne threats to water and 10 Greenpeace remedies. GREENPEACE: PLEA FOR A WATER-SENSITIVE AGRICULTURE Pure drinking water is getting scarce: hundreds of water supplies had to close down because of chemical pollution of their water. The single most important source of the chemicals is agriculture: the bitter harvest of pesticide orgies, over- fertilization, and excessive meat production. Groundwater in Germany is polluted virtually everywhere. It is, however, unfair to blame farmers alone. The water problems we encounter today have been provoked by a disastrous short-sightedness in agricultural politics. Setting goals such as * food production independent of soil type, climate, or ecological properties of the region, * doubling yields in plant production, * boosting production of meat, eggs, and milk products, by rearing more and more animals, * industrial processability and cosmetic appearence as prime quality criteria, * use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, equals asking for massive water pollution. The fact that the disastrous state of German ground and surface water is a necessary and inevitable consequence of our agricultural politics still hasn't penetrated the minds of national or EC politicians. Whenever water problems are perceived, symptoms are chased, and the damage is hidden, delayed, moved, or spread. The underlying source of the problem, an agriculture striving to detach itself from nature, is denied. When pesticides are detected in ground water, for instance, they are merely replaced by "new, better, safer" pesticides. The obvious choice to avoid the use of such chemicals is never considered. The same pattern is applied everywhere: symbolic legislation instead of real change. 10 Rules for a Water-sensitive Agriculture in Germany 1. Society has to define new objectives for agriculture. Farmers must be given the chance to produce sustainably and survive. The protection of surface and ground water must have priority over food production "at any price". 2. Water resources are only partly protected: in zones used for drinking water abstraction, agriculture has to obey much stricter rules in order to protect the water. Outside of these zones, there is litte or no protection. Water protection zones with their appropriate rules must be extended over all of Germany (and Europe). 3. A pesticide for which the manufacturer cannot prove that it can in no way penetrate into the ground water, must not be produced or used. The same must apply for pesticides which cannot be detected in the environment due to a lack of analytical methods. These rules must be immediately included in the national and EC legislations for the registration of pesticides. 4. To protect our water resources now, the pesticide manufacturers must revoke all products which may penetrate into the ground water. The cost for drinking water treatment due to pesticide contamination must be carried by the manufacturers. 5. Every year, nearly 200 million tons of liquid manure are spread on Germany's fields and pollute the groundwater. Strict quota on the numbers of livestock have to be imposed to close the nutrient cycle between animals and fodder production. The number of pigs, for instance, will have to be reduced by 90 percent and more. 6. "Technical" solutions like methane production or manure treatment can't solve the problem because the natural cycle is broken. Manure has to be collected and composted with straw before it can be returned to the fields as a fertilizer. Flushing of stables creates useless liquid manure and therefore must be banned. 7. Fertilizers are used to increase yields. They also pollute groundwater, lakes, rivers, and the sea. It has been shown that a farm does not normally require additional input of fertilizer beyond its own resources. External input of fertilizer should only be allowed on request. It must not be the rule. 8. The consumer plays an important role in changing agricultural practices to the better. Currently, she or he does not get any information about the "environmental rating" of the food. Labeling of produce must give a clear indication of the environmental impact during growing, processing, and transport. 9. Drainage of wetlands to gain more agricultural land always entails ecological degradation. Irrigation is always a sign of the wrong crop in the wrong agro- ecological zone and is unnecessary in temperate climates. Lowering of the water table and salinization of soils are the long-term consequences. Drainage and irrigation indicate overuse of the land. They must be reduced to the absolute minimum. 10. Germany's conflicts between water protection and agriculture occur all over Europe. Solutions can only be found on an international scale. It is one of the most challenging tasks of the European Community to devise a Common Agricultural Policy that feeds Europe and keeps our waters clean.