There is a solution to the crisis on the fertilizer market

"Manure market is heading for an acute crisis due to strict rules," headlines the Financial Dagblad just before Christmas. It reminded me of the early 80s when, in similar weather conditions, an acute problem arose with the sale of calf slurry and how it was resolved.

De sales costs for manure have been pointing to an impending acute sales problem for some time. Apparent causes are the shrinking space available for manure in combination with the wet weather. An imbalance has arisen between manure supply and sales channels. The unforeseen wet weather has further exacerbated the poor situation on the fertilizer market.

40 years ago
If there is a real need, solutions will be found. Although not obvious, necessity breaks law. In the early 80s, even without manure regulations, there was an acute problem with the sale of calf manure on the Veluwe as a result of excessive rain. The province of Gelderland, together with municipalities, the veal farming sector and at the time the regional manure bank Gelderland, insisted on a temporary solution with the Veluwe Purification Board. Temporarily, unprocessed thin calf slurry could be dumped directly at the locations of some sewage treatment plants under certain conditions. Two installations already had a dephosphating installation, so that the Veluwerandmeer would not be overloaded with phosphate.

Structural solution
In addition to payment of landfill costs, the treatment board imposed an important condition on this emergency solution. A structural solution had to be found for the marketing problem of calf manure on the Veluwe. The parties involved have tackled this energetically. The plan resulted in the construction of four central calf slurry purification plants for approximately 700.000 tons of calf slurry annually. The government, province, municipalities and the Product Board for Livestock Feed were responsible for the entire investment costs. The manure-supplying veal farmers only paid the direct operating costs with a dumping rate. For decades, the processing installations of the Gelderland Manure Foundation Foundation have been the most important sales channel for calf manure on the Veluwe.

Regional water authorities
If an acute emergency situation arises on the manure market, the approach taken at the time could provide relief. Separate liquid manure into a thin and a thick fraction. Store the solid solid fraction temporarily. Take the thin fraction to a sewage treatment plant. Water boards have a direct interest in water quality. Offering a helping hand in an acute emergency is therefore in their own interest.

Manure vision
It is certain that the space available for manure will shrink even further in the coming years. The weather remains unpredictable and the result of the buyout schemes and stops for the fertilizer supply is still uncertain. In the short term, these remain uncertain factors for the fertilizer market. Additional sales channels for manure, such as large-scale industrial biogas plants, are in the making. But it takes (too) long before they can be operational. Until then, adjusted manure rules can also provide relief on the manure market. What the current manure situation also makes clear is an urgent need for a long-term vision of the manure market with an action plan.

Jaap Uenk

Jaap Uenk is the owner of consultancy Mestem and has more than 40 years of experience in various positions in the Dutch fertilizer sector.

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