Ministerial Decree approving the code of good agricultural practice Country/Territory Italy Document type Regulation Date 1999 Source FAO, FAOLEX Original source Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana No. 102, 4 May 1999 Subject Agricultural & rural development, Land & soil, Water Keyword Farming Soil pollution/quality Agricultural development Agricultural land Fertilizers/nutrients Pollution control Freshwater pollution Geographical area Alps, Europe, Europe and Central Asia, European Union Countries, Mediterranean, Southern Europe Abstract Article 4 of Directive 91/676/EEC requires Member States to establish a code or codes of good agricultural practice with the aim of providing for all waters a general level of protection against pollution. The present Decree, in implementation of such provision, lays down the code of good agricultural practice. This code takes into account solely the matters connected with the use of nitrogen in agriculture. The Regions shall elaborate special programmes on farmers’ training and education with a view to promoting the effective implementation of the code. The latter does not have binding effects, but may be implemented by farmers on a voluntary basis (art. 4 of Directive 91/676/EEC). The following items are hereby dealt with: periods when the land application of fertilizers is inappropriate; land application of fertilizers to steeply sloping ground; land application of fertilizers to water satured, flooded, frozen or snow-covered ground; land application of fertilizers to grounds adjacent to water courses. The table attached to the code determines the quantity of nitrogen which is required to reach a high production level in the different plant species referred therein. Full text Italian Website www.comune.jesi.an.it References - Legislation Implements Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. Legislation | European Union | 1991 (2008) Keyword: Soil pollution/quality, Fertilizers/nutrients, Protection of environment, Farming, Agricultural development, Organic waste, Waste prevention, Waste management, Pollution control, Freshwater pollution Source: FAO, FAOLEX