Dresden (dpa / sn) - The areas in Saxony polluted with nitrate have been newly identified. Compared to December 2020, the so-called red areas in Bavaria increased to a total of 185,000 hectares of agricultural land (previously 130,600 hectares), as the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Tuesday. They include 157,842 hectares of arable land, 24,512 hectares of grassland and 2690 hectares of other agricultural land such as fruit and permanent crops, vineyards, ponds and reeds.
In order to reduce groundwater pollution with nitrate, special fertilizer restrictions apply to agriculture in the red areas. The change will take effect this Wednesday.
