Sleeping foot ban on 16 February

From the start of the spreading season for slurry on grassland (16 February), the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) has banned the use of trailing foot fertilisers. At the end of January, the government agency still know that a ban was not imminent.

RVO Agrarisch (part of RVO.nl) announced on Twitter that the ban on trailing foot injectors will come into effect on 16 February. This applies to grassland on clay and peat soils. This ban was planned for January 1, 2017, but was postponed for 1 year. After a long silence, the ban is now really coming. In addition to slurry, the ban also applies to sewage sludge.

Uncertainty
RVO.nl indicates that more information about the details of the ban will be available on the organization's website at a later date. As a result, the exact situation for livestock farmers and contractors remains unclear. For example, there are questions about the permitted alternative techniques in which water is added to the slurry.

Update Wednesday 7 February
Uit inquire at RVO.nl it turns out that the organization itself is not aware of the ban and is investigating where the information on Twitter comes from. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality is still in talks with Brussels about a possible ban on the trailing foot injector.

Niels van der Boom

Niels van der Boom is a senior market specialist for arable crops at DCA Market Intelligence. He mainly makes analyses and market updates about the potato market. In columns he shares his sharp view on the arable sector and technology.

n.vanderboom@boerenbusiness. Nl

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