Programme de Gestion Durable de l'Azote en agriculture. Considérations pratiques et conceptuelles sur la méthodologie du contrôle public du reliquat d'azote nitrique dans le sol des exploitations agricoles wallonnes

Abstract

Implementation of the Nitrates Directive. Analysis of the assessment's methodology for the control of the soil nitrate nitrogen residue in the farm's fields of Wallonia. Within the Walloon Action Programme, transposition of the Nitrates Directive, the Administration organizes each year a control of the soil nitrate nitrogen residues in about 900 parcels located in vulnerable zone in order to verify if the practices of nitrogen spreading by the farmers are in accordance with the Walloon Action Programme. The current method is to yearly spot "suspects" by a control in three parcels in about 300 farms and to follow "suspects" by an observation programme wich leads after maximum six years to a penalty or to the end of this programme. The present statistical study means to assess the public control's methodology: what is the probability to penalize a "good" farmer, to forget a "bad" farmer? This study is based on real data and on a theoretical approach. Both conclusions indicate that the official methodology is sufficiently appropriate.

Keywords

• Farms
• nitrogen fertilizers
• nitrates
• agricultural soils
• control systems
• Belgium