High manure prices will continue into early 2026. With the winter weather we're currently experiencing, the start of the spreading season seems a long way off, but the countdown has already begun. Manure storage continues to fill unabated, although high collection fees and the approaching spreading season are starting to impact the manure supply in some areas.
Although the manure market is perhaps even more supply-driven than before, the beginning of January is relatively quiet. With the start of the new year, some intermediaries are adjusting their annual prices, particularly for pig manure. As a result, the market is moving up compared to last week. At the same time, this underscores that despite the current calm in the market, large volumes of manure will again need to be sold later in the year.
In the first listing of the new year, DCA collection fees for pig manure in both the South and Central Netherlands will increase by €0,50 per cubic meter. These amounts will reach €33,33 and €36,67 per cubic meter, respectively, in the second week of January.
The need for immediate exit is becoming increasingly greater
With the further phasing out of the derogation, the pressure on the manure market will theoretically increase. Contractors are already talking about a full schedule for the first week of the spreading season. It's not surprising that contractors have that week booked well in advance, but the need is increasing, they say. With the current manure prices, livestock farmers will eventually have little choice. While in the past people would sometimes wait because the land was just too wet, many no longer have that choice. Arable farmers are also increasingly forced to have manure delivered. Uncertainty in the fertilizer market plays a role in this, as it remains unclear what impact the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will have on fertilizer prices. This requires importers of CBAM goods into the EU to pay for CO2 emissions released during production.
As the spreading season approaches, many livestock farmers typically only remove "emergency loads," leaving the manure just below the pits. At the same time, some slack in storage capacity is noticeable towards February. Intermediaries indicate that this is due to the fact that manure storage is somewhat larger this year, partly thanks to last year's successful spreading season.
The DCA collection fees for cattle manure will increase by €0,17 to €30,50 per cubic meter in the southern Netherlands in the first quotation of 2026. For the central Netherlands, the collection fees will reach €36 per cubic meter this week.