Germans are prohibited from using efficient fertilizers as part of shift toward "green" farming

(MENAFN) Under a new set of limitations aimed at making the business more "green," farmers in Germany's most populous state must severely limit their use of successful fertilizer techniques.

Farmers in North Rhine-Westphalia are now compelled to use 20% less nitrate fertilizer in regions assessed to have "problematic" amounts of the chemical, which currently includes one-third of the province's useable farmland.

Some local farmers and political figures appear to be opposed to the regulations. Erich Gussen, vice president of the Rhenish Agricultural Association, warned that the new standards will result in inferior crop quality, implying that farmers would resist the legislation. “There is great indignation among the farmers, which really upsets us!” he informed German source Bild on Thursday. 

“If a wheat field needs 200 kg of fertilizer for optimal yield, farmers would now be forced to use 40 kg less. That means a drop in yield and the quality of the wheat will suffer!” Gussen clarified.

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