§ 2 Principles of Fertilizer Application
(1) Substances according to § 1 Nos. 1 to 5 may only be applied in accordance with
good
professional practice. Fertilization according to good professional practice serves to supply plants
with necessary nutrients as well as to maintain and promote soil fertility, in particular to ensure
the
population's supply with high-quality, reasonably priced products.
(2) Good professional practice includes that fertilization is aligned in terms of
type, quantity, and
timing with the requirements of the plants and the soil, taking into account the nutrients and
organic matter available in the soil as well as the site-specific and cultivation conditions. The
nutrient requirement of the plants is determined by their yield potential under the respective site-
specific and cultivation conditions as well as the quality requirements for the products.
(3) The Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (the Federal
Ministry) is
authorized, in agreement with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and
Nuclear Safety, and with the consent of the Federal Council, to specify in more detail by means of
a statutory ordinance:
- the principles of good professional
practice as defined in paragraph 2,
- area-based upper limits for the application
of nutrients from farmyard manures of animal origin.
