Consequently, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the governments of member states and the European Community :
2.1 to establish satisfactory rules and legislation which can guarantee that the storage, handling and application of animal manure on farmland do not result in any degradation of food quality or of the environment but rather improve soil and soil fertility. This implies setting maximum limits on the quantities applied according to the soil, cultivation methods and manure quality (mineral, nitrate, phosphate, etc. content), fixing quality norms (including sanitary standards) and establishing rules for storage, application periods and application technology in accordance with geography, climate and habitation. Particular emphasis should be given to the reduction of nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, methane and ammonia, unwanted organic contents and chemical additives, by modifying animal feed, if necessary, while respecting the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes ;
2.2 to adopt measures, in order to meet the above requirements, designed to make the maximum number of animals per holding dependent on locally available land, to adapt the feed composition and improve systems for the handling and processing of manure. These measures may require the introduction of manure accountancy and a manure tax (the polluter pays) ;
2.3 to make sure that the implementation of these new regulations will not lead to unfair hardship for individual farmers who have made investments according to past political priorities, by assisting the farming community financially and technologically and by allowing for the necessary adjustment time ;
2.4 to considerably increase joint research on
a feed systems which can reduce the mineral contents of manure ;
b the possibilities of transforming manure into high-quality products and/or energy ;
