Code of best agricultural practices

In most European countries, agriculture's responsibility as regards environmental quality, in particular that of water, is widely accepted, as also is its determining role in maintaining the countryside. The conservation of water quality seems to be, for each country, a national issue, but it is also international. All the categories of water are concerned; drinking water (surface or underground), with problems as regards nitrate content and pesticide residues, but also bathing water, with specific microbiological problems, and surface waters with the risk of eutrophication.