Commission Implementing Decision of 3 November 2011 on granting a derogation requested by Italy with regard to the Regions of Emilia Romagna, Lombardia, Piemonte and Veneto pursuant to Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (notified under document C(2011) 7770) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (2011/721/EU)

Article 7 Land management

Farmers benefiting from a derogation shall ensure that the following conditions are met:

(a)

70 % or more of the acreage of the farm shall be cultivated with crops with high nitrogen demand and long growing season;

(b)

temporary grassland shall be ploughed in spring;

(c)

temporary and permanent grassland shall not include more than 50 % of leguminous or other plants fixing atmospheric nitrogen;

(d)

late maturing maize shall be harvested (the whole plant);

(e)

winter herbage, such as Italian ryegrass, barley, triticale or winter rye, shall be seeded within 2 weeks after harvest of maize/sorghum and shall be harvested no earlier than 2 weeks before maize/sorghum sowing;

(f)

summer herbage, such as maize, sorghum, Setaria or Panicum sp. shall be seeded within 2 weeks after harvest of winter cereals and shall be harvested no earlier than 2 weeks before winter cereals sowing;

(g)

a crop with high nitrogen demand shall be seeded within 2 weeks after ploughing grass and fertilisers shall not be applied in the year of ploughing of permanent grassland.