Sector remains under phosphate and nitrogen ceiling

The livestock sector managed to stay below the nitrogen and phosphate ceiling in the second quarter of the year. This is what Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) wrote in a letter to parliament on Tuesday 20 August, based on the Phosphate Monitor of Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

The (provisional) phosphate production in the entire livestock sector (dairy cattle, pigs, poultry and other) amounts to 159 million kilos for the second quarter of the year, which is far below the ceiling of 172,9 million kilos. In the first quarter of the year, the sector managed to achieve exactly the same level. According to Schouten, this is a positive trend.

If we look at individual sectors, the dairy sector still produces by far the most: 75,7 million kilos. However, that is again lower than the previous quarter and well below the ceiling of 84,9 million kilos, with which all phosphate-reducing plans seem to be having an effect. The phosphate excretion in pig farming amounts to 37,7 million tons, which is just below the ceiling of 39,7 million kilos.

Also nitrogen below ceiling
Phosphate production is therefore reasonably in line with recent reports. What is new is that the dairy sector is below the sectoral nitrogen ceiling (281,8 million kilos) for the first time. The nitrogen excretion in the dairy farm comes out at 280,6 million kilos, compared to 288,1 million kilos in the first quarter.

The pig sector also remains below the sectoral nitrogen ceiling (99,1 million kilos) in the second quarter, with nitrogen excretion of 96,8 million kilos. Total nitrogen production in the second quarter amounts to 494 million kilos, which is approximately 10 kilos below the ceiling of 504,4 million kilos. This is slightly less than was produced in the first quarter (498 million kilos).

Snapshot
Agriculture Minister Schouten emphasizes in her Letter to Parliament that this concerns a snapshot, in which various figures have not yet been processed. She is referring, among other things, to the phosphorus and nitrogen contents of the roughage, which are not yet known. "Although these figures may still change slightly, the overall picture is positive in my view," writes Schouten.

The minister expects to present the third quarterly report in mid-November and the fourth quarterly report is expected in February 2020. The latter report also contains the first forecast for the definitive excretion for 2019.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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