In its recent rulings, the Administrative Court has made it clear that groundwater protection takes priority over property rights and professional freedom. The farmers should finally give in.
It actually goes without saying that groundwater needs special protection. Because it is the number one food. Nevertheless, one must be grateful to the Bavarian Administrative Court (VGH) for once again unequivocally stating this as a matter of course in its rulings on the red areas. As of Thursday, this should now have been finally clarified in Bavaria: Farmers have to accept restrictions on the application of manure and artificial fertilizer if there is too much nitrate in the groundwater in their region because they have fertilized their fields and pastures far too much in the past . The same applies to farmers: the common good has priority over property rights and freedom of occupation – especially when the latter endangers the common good.