A lot of manure is currently being offered, but that hardly leads to trade. Due to, among other things, the phasing out of derogation, livestock farmers have to dispose of more than before, which in turn results in more volume on the already large manure heap. The manure still has to go expensive. With the spreading of the grain stubble approaching, a fall in prices also seems far away.
There is more than enough supply of both pig and cattle manure and manure traders and contractors indicate that it will be quite a challenge to get rid of it. Due to the wet spring, a considerable volume of manure was not spread and therefore the supply is still ample. The installation space has also shrunk with the phasing out of the derogation and the fertilization-free strips. So not an easy calculation.
Limited trading
Contractors and fertilizer dealers have been reluctant to make agreements in recent months due to the uncertainty about pricing but also the installation space. Even now that the cultivation of the stubble is approaching, trade and agreements remain limited. They note that the supply is increasing further due to the phasing out of derogation and that there are many livestock farmers who previously did not have to dispose of livestock within their company. Now it is and quite a bit extra is offered. The manure from livestock farmers who are regular customers of a buyer is sometimes also under pressure. "Due to the phasing out of the derogation, they have to sell more, which is sometimes doubled," reports a contractor.
There is no denying that the supply of manure is very wide. But there may be more on paper than there actually is, according to a fertilizer trader. Livestock farmers inform various buyers that they want to get rid of their manure, but because no agreements are made, they end up on the 'waiting list' of all those buyers. As a result, the volume they have to sell to multiple customers is written down on paper.
No price drop expected
De fertilizer quotations from DCA showed an increase during the spreading season until a few weeks ago, but has been mainly stable in recent weeks. It remains to be seen how the price will develop when more manure is spread, but given the supply, it is expected that there will be no price drop for the time being.