'Damage dairy farm on sand up to 30.000 euros'

An average dairy farm on sandy soil can incur €10.000 to €30.000 in additional costs in the last 4 months of this year due to the proposed feed track of agriculture minister Schouten. This reports Nevedi. The organization of the feed industry does not like the feed track, but accepts Schouten's invitation to talk about nitrogen policy after 2020.

In a letter to the Standing Committee on Agriculture in the House of Representatives, Nevedi rejects Schouten's plan to maximize the crude protein content in concentrates. The organization considers that there are small differences in maximum crude protein contents within soil types. "There is a good chance that this will increase feed costs if the cows' rations cannot be adjusted with individual raw materials or specific feeds."

Displace roughage
For an average dairy farm on sandy soil, the additional costs in the 4 months that the scheme applies (from September to December 2020) can rise to €30.000, Nevedi has calculated. Moreover, the measure is at odds with Schouten's vision of circular agriculture, the feed industry notes. To replace highly concentrated raw materials such as soya meal, dairy farmers will probably use mixtures that require more kilograms to be fed in order to obtain an appropriate ration. "This leads to displacement of roughage."

The measure is also detrimental to animal health and welfare of the dairy herd, Nevedi writes. "Dairy farmers will soon be unable to properly tailor the ration to the needs of the individual cow, because the regulation is not based on a weighted average of crude protein contents, but on the absolute crude protein content of the supplied animal feeds."

Hard warranty front track
Nevedi director Henk Flipsen therefore writes that his organization would prefer to have the feed track off the table or there must be a firm guarantee that it will not last longer than 4 months. The feed industry indicates that Schouten does not include the current lower crude protein contents of the grass silages of 2019, which were fed this spring, and the supplied compound feed in the calculations of the ammonia reduction. Otherwise, there would have been ample space for housing and infrastructure projects, Nevedi emphasizes.

Nevedi accepts Schouten's invitation to further discuss nitrogen policy after 2020, Flipsen writes. "However, our basic principles remain that Nevedi will conduct these consultations in close contact with the chain partners." 

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