Phosphate content important
'Manure disposal plays a role in pig feed track'
'Maintaining the derogation is crucial for Dutch livestock farming and we are making every effort to achieve this.' That is what Ruud Tijssens, director of Corporate Affairs at Royal Agrifirm Group, says.
Despite the fact that the phosphate reduction plan is yielding good preliminary results, the voluntary feed track in pig farming remains important. According to Tijssens, maintaining the derogation for broader manure standards is paramount. If the derogation unexpectedly disappears, this will also affect pig farming. Tijssens: 'That's why we are happy with the voluntary feed track in pig farming, because it may remove another 1 million kilos of phosphate from the market.' Tijssens is positive that a substantial volume will be realised.
Regulation is alive
'We notice that many pig farmers are interested in the feed track and are inquiring about the options available on their farm. That is why we have developed various calculation programs. They calculate the possibilities and consequences at individual company level.' Because the scheme has only been open since Monday 29 May, Tijssens cannot yet say how many Agrifirm customers will actually register.
Compared to the reference year 2016, the phosphorus content in compound feed at Agrifirm has already decreased. This is mainly a result of the choice of raw materials and developments in the raw materials market. According to Tijssens, Agrifirm's customers can cash in on this phosphate reduction anyway. Whether the phosphorus content can be further reduced is different for each company. The 3 factors that play a role in this are animal health, efficiency and the feed price.
Watching manure sales
According to Tijssens, it is also important to look at manure. Pig farmers who separate their manure and dispose of the solid fraction by means of VVOs (replacement processing agreements) must properly calculate the financial effects. This is because the phosphate content is precisely what makes the sale of pig manure interesting. 'On balance, I expect that there are more reduction options on fattening pigs and closed farms than on sow farms.'
Tijssens does not dare to predict whether the feed track has a price-increasing effect. 'We are in a competitive market in which more matters are involved than just the price of raw materials.' Tijssens also expects that the arrangement will not cause any problems internally, from a logistical point of view, and that the current feed range will be large enough to meet the wishes of pig farmers.
Extra security measure
All in all, Tijssens is optimistic about the implementation of the approach for phosphate reduction in dairy farming. The positive preliminary results give reason for this. Nevertheless, the voluntary feed track in pig farming remains important. 'There can always be setbacks. That is why this pig feed track is a good extra safety measure to be able to maintain the derogation.'
look at it file feed track
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Wouter Job
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