WWF has been campaigning for the past five years to ban phosphates in laundry and dishwasher detergents, the EU is now very close to a Europe-wide ban of these substances. A final decision was made by the European Parliament on 14 December. The European Parliament agreed today to eliminate high-content phosphate detergents from the European market ( with big majority 631 for, 18 against).  The new restrictions will apply on 30 June 2013 for laundry and on 1st January 2017 for automatic dishwasher detergents. WWF welcomes this decision but is critical of the excessive deadlines given to companies to prepare. Phosphates boost not only the cleaning performance of detergents but also contribute to algae growth in our waters, consuming large portions of oxygen and causing severe stress to living water organisms like fish, plants and other aquatic life.

Phosphates from laundry and dishwasher detergents is one of the major causes of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. It has been estimated that these phosphates may contribute up to 24% of the total inputs of phosphorus to the sea. A ban on phosphorus in detergents has been shown to be the most cost-effective measure to reduce eutrophication, but some governments have up until now been reluctant to introduce a ban.

When high officials from the nine Baltic Sea countries met in Helsinki on Monday and Tuesday to discuss measures to improve the environment of the Baltic Sea, a decision that would have helped curb emissions of nitrogen oxides from ships was delayed. Intensive lobbying from the shipping industry has made governments back down from earlier promises to take quick action reduce ship pollution.

When governments signed the ambitious Baltic Sea Action Plan in 2007, one of the agreed measures was to call for the Baltic Sea to be designated a "Nitrogen Emissions Control Area" by the International Maritime Organisation. Studies have revealed that such a designation would lead to the reduction of nitrogen emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea by approximately 80 percent compared to current levels.

Baltic Sea countries should take bold  action to reduce the threat of eutrophication to the Baltic Sea caused by air pollution from ships. HELCOM Contracting Parties who met this week from around the Baltic Sea region failed to agree upon a timeline  to work towards the designation of the Baltic Sea as a NOx Emission Control Area (NECA), which threatens to delay this important action indefinitely.

Eutrophication has been identified as the single biggest threat to the Baltic Marine Environment.  Air emissions from shipping significantly contributes to this through nitrogen emissions, a byproduct of the combustion of the dirty fuel that still dominates the sea. Given the current growth projections for shipping traffic in the Baltic Sea, without action the emission levels, compared to those at the turn of the century, could increase up to 50% by 2020.

“We urge the contracting parties of HELCOM to overcome their differences and honor the HELCOM 2010 Ministerial commitment to finalize a submission this year to designate the Baltic Sea as a NOx Emission Control Area,   doing so would finally demonstrate countries’ commitments can, in fact, be followed with actions”, says Kristjan Piirimäe, eutrophication expert for Estonian Fund for Nature.

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) prioritizes the designation of a NOx Emission Control Area (NECA) for the Baltic Sea. HELCOM has undertaken studies on the benefits of introducing a Baltic Sea NECA to avoid the harmful effects of shipping emissions on eutrophication and human health. These studies reveal that a Baltic Sea NECA could lead, in the long run, to the reduction of nitrogen emissions from ships in the Baltic by approximately 80% compared to the current level, estimated at 357 kilotonnes in 2009. These studies served as the basis for the HELCOM Moscow Ministerial agreement in 2010, which decided that the benefits of proceeding with the application for a NECA for the Baltic Sea were warranted and furthermore agreed that the submission should be prioritized and finalized by 2011. 

Despite Baltic Sea ministers prioritizing this issue, Countries have repeatedly failed to follow through.  An attempt to finalize a joint submission failed earlier this year due to disagreements by HELCOM contracting parties. Baltic countries had another chance to agree upon their joint submission on NECA during the annual meeting of HELCOM Maritime, which concluded its meeting in Helsinki yesterday (17 November).  Contracting parties again did not reach agreement and the decision was postponed indefinitely.

WWF believes that there is no good reason why a decision on a NECA should not be taken as soon as possible.  Given that Eutrophication is the biggest environmental problem of the Baltic Sea, and that a NECA will help reduce this serious threat, immediate action is needed. WWF hopes that the HELCOM representatives meeting in Helsinki 5-6 December will finally take action and demonstrate that the contracting parties to HELCOM are more concerned with the health and prosperity of the Baltic Sea than on satisfying industry lobbysists.

Kristjan Piirimäe, eutrophication expert, Estonian Fund for Nature

Tel:. +372 5116916

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

_______________________________________

Information to editors:

Increasing shipping activities contribute significantly to the air and sea pollution in the Baltic Sea region. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships cause acid depositions that can be detrimental to the natural environment and most importantly contribute to eutrophication. Shipping in the Baltic Sea is among the largest contributors to NOx deposition to the Baltic Sea. According to the recent estimates, the total NOx emissions from ships in the Baltic were more than 393kton NOx in 2008. Within 2000-2006, shipping in the Baltic was the second largest contributor (9%) to the deposition of NOx, and the fifth greatest contributor (5%) to the total nitrogen deposition to the Baltic Sea.(source: HELCOM; http://www.helcom.fi/shipping/emissions/en_GB/emisions/)

HELCOM.  The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea countries and the European Union which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution.

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," known as the Helsinki Convention.

Polish farmer Marian Rak was today presented with the WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. He is awarded for his innovative measures to reduce nutrient losses and enhance biological and landscape biodiversity. The Award was created by WWF and Swedbank to recognize the important work done by farmers who take active steps in the fight against eutrophication.

National competitions have been held in eight countries around the Baltic Sea this year and Marian Rak and his farm was considered the most outstanding among the eight national winners. As the regional winners of the competition, Marian Rak received a 10,000 Euro prize provided by Swedbank, the competition's sponsor, in recognition of his accomplishment.

"I have always been interested in nature conservation. When I realized that my farming was harmful to the environment I decided to work for the benefit of nature," says Marian Rak. "Winning this award is very important to me and will make me go one step further. Finally I feel understood and that the measures I have taken are appreciated."

Marian Rak has developed his farm since 1975 with new and environmentally friendly methods and practices. He plants trees among his fields and constructs ponds and wetlands, both to reduce nutrient run-off and to restore natural habitats to offer sufficient space for wildlife.

Marian Rak's farm is a conventional crop production farm. His main crops are wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed and potatoes, but he also grows an orchard and rears cattle. The measures that are taken on the farm can easily be replicated by other farmers around the Baltic Sea.

"I hope this award will allow me to convince local farmers that my actions are taken for a reason," he says. "For years I have tried to make them do the same. Many of them are reluctant but I guess this award will make them look at me from a different perspective."

The WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award is an annual competition intended to inspire farmers in the entire Baltic Sea region to take an active part in combating eutrophication. It was launched in 2009 by WWF, together with Swedbank, and in cooperation with the Baltic Farmers Forum for the Environment, and farmers' organisations from around the Baltic Sea.

The purpose of the Award is to highlight best practices in "Baltic-friendly" farming and to recognise and promote farmers who are leading in innovative measures to reduce runoff from their farms. "We want to engage more in our local environment and realized that the best thing we could do for the Baltic Sea was to support a competition where examples of good farming practices are promoted," says Magnus Hammar, responsible for Forestry and Agriculture at Swedbank.

The Baltic Sea is still one of the most threatened seas in the world. Eutrophication or over-fertilization has been identified as the single most important threat to its health and agricultural runoff is the main cause.

"Farmers have for a long time been seen as the problem," says Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. "We see them as an important part of the solution and with this award we want to recognize their contribution."

Read more:

  Baltic Farmer 2011 (PDF)

 Baltic Friendly Agriculture (PDF)

Information for the editor:

The award was presented at a ceremony at the International Baltic Sea Conference "A Greener Agriculture for a Bluer Baltic Sea" held at Sånga-Säby Conference centre in Stockholm, Sweden.

The international jury's motivation for the 2011 Regional Winner of the WWF Baltic Farmer of the Year Award:The international jury presented Marian Rak with the Baltic Sea Famer of the Year award for his strong commitment to environmental protection and for demonstrating how a successful progressive conventional farm can simultaneously reduce nutrient losses while enhancing biological and landscape diversity. Through the implementation of a diverse number of agri-environmental measures, it is the jury's belief that Mr. Rak and his family have gone the extra mile to save the Baltic Sea, and that these measures could easily be replicated and duplicated by other farmers in the Baltic Sea region. Mr. Rak has also proved to be an effective ambassador and advocate for sustainable agricultural practices in Poland and, with the acknowledgement of this award, we hope his influence and example may now extend further across the Baltic Sea region.

Press photos:

www.wwf.se/pressbilder (will be made available after press conference – 13:00 CET)

For more information, contact:

Kristjan Piirimäe, eutrophication expert, Estonian Fund for Nature

Tel:. +372 5116916

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marie von Zeipel, Senior Press Officer, WWF Sweden

Tel: 08-624 74 03, 070-629 10 77

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Pawel Sredzinski, Press Officer, WWF Poland

Tel: +48-228 498 469, +48 604 631 633

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it