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Date Published: 21/12/2022

Mar Menor farmers hit with more restrictions to avoid EU sanctions

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Crop rotation, soil analysis and fertiliser restrictions will form part of the plan to protect the Mar Menor

Mar Menor farmers hit with more restrictions to avoid EU sanctions

With the European Commission again threatening legal action for failing to introduce sufficient measures to prevent the contamination of the Mar Menor, the Region of Murcia has this week announced a series of new restrictions on farms in a last-ditch attempt to avoid sanctions.

To prevent the “upward contamination” of vulnerable water courses by agricultural nitrates, the regional government has released an action plan that particularly targets the Campo de Cartagena.

Most importantly, the regulations will limit or completely prohibit fertilisation and the use of manure in certain areas, impose a crop rotation system that focuses on plants which can capture nitrates and require a more stringent analysis of soil, slurry and water.

In the most vulnerable areas, farmers won’t be allowed to fertilise with compounds that contain more than 170 kilos of nitrates per hectare per year and the accumulation of inorganic products and vegetation waste will be prohibited near banks and rivers where they easily contaminate the soil. Farmers will also be stopped from planting or fertilising crops close to riverbeds or wells that contain water for human consumption.

Unsurprisingly, agricultural workers are up in arms over the proposal, particularly the stipulation that they must routinely analyse their crops.

The regional government is holding firm, however, determined to avoid EU sanctions. In fact, they have insisted that the restrictions will be re-examined every four years and could be increased if the presence of nitrates doesn’t show a significant reduction.

Meanwhile, Cartagena City Council plans to allocate 11 million euros in 2023 to continue the removal of biomass from the shores of the Mar Menor and has already established a schedule for beach cleaning, seaweed extraction, reed control and beach rolling, an operation that allows for the recovery and replacement of sand displaced from the beach due to the effect of storms.

Several experts continue to insist that the extensive works do little to help the ecological problems of the lagoon, even though an incredible 112 tonnes of algae, or one tonne a day, has been removed since August.

The plan still has to be approved by the Costas but Cartagena mayor Noelia Arroyo insists on the importance of continuing to act on the removal of sludge, which reduces the contribution of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Mar Menor.

Images: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena