Fraud with manure is not difficult

It is relatively easy to cheat with manure. This is stated in the report 'National Threat Assessment 2017'. In view of the large interests in the fertilizer market, it is attractive to commit fertilizer fraud. That is what the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) claims.

The total costs for fertilizer disposal in the Netherlands in 2015 are estimated at 500 million euros. This amount underlines that the interests in manure are significant. Committing manure fraud can result in cost savings of several tons on a pig farm. High manure disposal costs in combination with relatively low yield prices make manure fraud attractive.

Difficult to measure levels
According to the NVWA, fraud is taking place with regard to the collection, transport, delivery, sampling, weighing and accounting of manure. In practice, manure fraud is not difficult, because it concerns a so-called "delayed red act". The administrative accountability of manure disposal only takes place after a closed year. The manure has often long since been removed or spread. This means that the quantities of manure and the mineral contents can no longer be controlled.

The NVWA states that on paper the manure accounting is usually correct. In order to gain insight into manure fraud, more in-depth research into the manure flows is needed. Different data from sample measurements, journey lists, tachograph data and GPS data must be combined in order to gain insight into fictitious and actual manure flows. Such investigations are complicated and time consuming.

Practical example
The report outlines a practical example: 'Manure is fictitiously moved or stored and then deposited in the black or applied illegally on one's own farm or elsewhere. Everything seems to be in order administratively. For example, the administration states that the manure has been exported abroad, has been removed by intermediaries or has been stored by intermediaries in silos or manure cellars.'

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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