Calculation CBS
Cattle farming makes better use of nitrogen and phosphorus
Cattle farming in the Netherlands uses nitrogen and phosphorus more efficiently. For example, there are fewer and fewer of these minerals in the feed and in the cattle manure. This is evident from the Agriculture Mineral Balance of Statistics Netherlands.
Opposite to the above, however, is that about the same amount of meat and milk is produced. This shows that cattle farming is better able to process the minerals. These developments result in a lower surplus of minerals† This means that less phosphorus and nitrogen ends up in the environment via cattle manure.
Minerals in cattle feed
From 1990 to 2012, the amount of nitrogen in the feed decreased by 177 million kilos (-33%). The amount of phosphorus in the feed decreased by 15 million kilos (-22%). In the last 4 years, this supply has increased somewhat, mainly because more cattle were kept.
Because the cattle feed is less nitrogen contains less of the substance in the manure. The nitrogen in the manure does not remain completely unused, however. The manure is spread on the land and the minerals are then later reabsorbed by grass and silage maize.
In 2016, about 24% of the nitrogen from the feed was processed in milk and meat. In 1990 this was still 16%. this means that nitrogen utilization has increased. Phosphorus utilization increased from 1990% to 2016% between 25 and 31.
Still exceeding
Despite the better use of phosphorus, the amount of phosphate in the manure in the livestock in 2015 and 2016 above the ceiling from the European Union. The ceiling has been set at 172,9 million kilos and production in 2016 amounted to 175,2 million kilos.
This exceedance was mainly due to the expansion of the dairy herd in the run-up to the abolition of the milk quota on 1 April 2015. Phosphate production fell again in 2017, to approximately 5 million kilos. below the phosphate ceiling.
Kimberly Baker
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.
