Nitrogen balance for soil and groundwater in the Netherlands, 1986-2002*

The supply of nitrogen to agricultural land fell by almost one third between 1986 and 2000. Approximately 90% of the total supply of nitrogen to the soil is to agricultural land, mainly in the form of animal manure and fertiliser.

		Supply
		1986	1990	2000	2001	2002*
		million kg N
Total agricultural land		1 090	985	822	781	763
Manure		479	462	386	389	371
Fertiliser		492	403	330	291	291
Run-off and leaching		9	9	11	12	11
Atmospheric deposition		84	82	67	63	63
Other		26	29	28	26	27
Total other land		94	96	98	98	98
Local deposits
of which
	sewage sludge	5	7	3	3	3
	dredging sludge	7	6	3	3	3
	other waste	9	11	22	22	22
Diffused supply
of which
	atmospheric deposition	56	57	50	49	49
	other	17	15	20	23	23
Source: CBS.		CBS/EDC/Sep03/0195

	Withdrawal
	1986	1990	2000	2001	2002*
	million kg N
Total agricultural land	1 090	985	822	781	763
Withdrawal in crops (incl. grass)	489	497	414	400	429
Leaching and run-off1)	86	86	70	70	70
Accumulation and denitrification	515	402	338	311	264
Total other land	94	96	98	98	98
Run-off and leaching	4	4	4	4	4
Accumulation and denitrification	90	92	94	94	94
Source: CBS.	CBS/EDC/Sep03/0195
1) Using new calculation method from 2000 onwards. In time, the years in the history will be recalculated using a comparable method. As a result, the trend shift shown at present will be eliminated.

Developments in supply of nitrogen

The supply of nitrogen to agricultural land fell by approximately 30% between 1986 and 2002. Approximately 90% of the total supply of nitrogen to the soil is to agricultural land, mainly in the form of animal manure and fertiliser.

Developments in withdrawal of nitrogen

Approximately 50% of the nitrogen applied on agricultural land is taken up by crops (including grass). The rest enters the environment through run-off and leaching to surface water (approximately 10% of the total), through denitrification to the air, and through accumulation in soil and groundwater.

Technical note

Using new calculation method from 2000 onwards. In time, the years in the history will be recalculated using a comparable method. As a result, the trend shift shown at present will be eliminated. More information about the background to the calculation can be found on the Datawarehouse Emissieregistratie website.

References

• CBS (2003). Statline. Stikstof en fosfor in Nederland. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.
• CCDM (2003). Emissiemonitor. Jaarcijfers 2001 en ramingen 2002. Datawarehouse-Emissieregistratie. Coördinatiecommissie Doelgroepmonitoring, The Hague.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

• Environmental pressure in the Netherlands, Eutrophication theme: introduction and policy
• Eutrophying emissions in the Netherlands, 1980-2001 (page is not available yet)
• Eutrophying emissions to water, 1990-2001
• Nitrogen and phosphorus balances for fresh surface water in the Netherlands, 1986-2001
• Balance for nitrogen in agriculture in the Netherlands, 2000
• Nitrogen and phosphorus balances for cultivated land and grassland in the Netherlands, 1980-2002*
• Phosphorus balance for soil and groundwater in the Netherlands, 1986-2002*
• Guide to 'Impact of environmental pressure on nature' section , with a reference to four indicators about the impact of acidification and eutrophication on nature.
• Guide to 'Measures for agriculture and horticulture, and eutrophication' section

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

• More information about mineral surpluses can be found in Mineralen in de landbouw, 1999 - 2002* (CBS, 2003).
• Recent emission data and descriptions of the calculation methods used (meta-information) can be viewed in detail on the Data Warehouse of the 'Emissieregistratie' website. Emission data can also be found on Statline of Statistics Netherlands.