Elapsed manure production rights and livestock rights, 1998-2002

Levels of elapsed manure production rights were much lower in 2002 than in 1998, the year in which the Pig Farming (Restructuring) Act was introduced.

		1998	1999	2000	2001	2002


Manure production and livestock rights ¹⁾		1 000 kg P₂O₅
Total elapsed rights		25 099	2 098	2 121	9 899	1 639
of which	reduction	22 978	-	-	-	-
	purchase	45	1 463	1 341	8 876	1 397
	creaming off	2 076	635	780	1 023	242

Pigs-chickens ²⁾
of which	reduction³⁾	22 978	-	-	-	-
	purchase	45	1 463	1 341	8 576	1 310
	creaming off	1 924	535	673	934	216

Other
of which	reduction	-	-	-	-	-
	purchase	-	-	-	300	87
	creaming off	152	100	107	89	26

Total non-
elapsed rights ⁴⁾		141 086	138 765	136 537	94 570	93 679

Source: Agricultural Levies Office.					CBS/EDC/Sep03/0402
1) Non-land-based rights only. 2) This is the total of the elapsed manure production rights for pigs-chickens and the pig and poultry rights. The pig rights are converted to phosphate using the flat phosphate production rate for meat pigs (7.4 kg P₂O₅). 3) For pig rights, excluding exemptions under Regeling voorloperbedrijven varkenshouderij or Besluit hardheidsgevallen herstructurering varkenshouderij. 4) The pig rights are converted to phosphate using the flat phosphate production rate for meat pigs (7.4 kg P₂O₅)

Developments in elapsed manure rights

The levels of elapsed rights were highest at the time of the introduction of the Pig Farming (Restructuring) Act. These were exclusively rights for pig farming. As a result of the various purchase schemes, 12 million kg of fixed phosphate rights were eliminated. Pig holdings were the main beneficiaries of the purchase schemes. Holdings with manure production rights for pigs-chickens, and pig and poultry rights sold a lot of phosphate, particularly in 2001: 67% of the total amount that was purchased in the period 1998-2002. Creaming off during the trading of rights resulted in the elimination of almost 5 million kg of phosphate from the market in the period 1998-2002. In 1998, approximately the same amount of phosphate was eliminated by creaming off as in the years 1999-2002 together.

Policy

In order to prevent increases in manure production, the Fertilisers Act of 1986 imposed a maximum on the amount of manure production per hectare: these are the 'land-based rights'. These are measured in kg phosphate. Most of the holdings that produced more manure than allowed for by the land-based rights were granted non-land-based rights.||

To limit the amount of non-land-based rights, the government has adopted the following measures: reduction, purchase and creaming off of traded rights. When the Pig Farming (Restructuring) Act came into effect in 1998 (with manure production rights for pigs being converted into pig rights), a general reduction was applied to the amount of manure production rights for pigs. Reductions were also applied to holdings that did not actually have any pigs: these are known as 'latent rights'. From 1997 onwards, the government will purchase manure production rights and livestock rights, thereby removing them from the market. Finally, holdings were moved or some rights were creamed off during the trading of rights. Creaming off came to an end with effect from 1 October 2002.

Technical note

The table states the rights that were registered as elapsed with the Agricultural Levies Office as at 2 May 2003.

References

Besseling, P. et al. (2002). Evaluatie Flankerend beleid Meststoffenwet. Expertisecentrum LNV, Ede/Wageningen.
CBS (2003). Monitor Mineralen en Mestwetgeving 2003. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.

Relevant sections and indicators in the Environmental Data Compendium

Relevant information outside of the Environmental Data Compendium

Further information can be found on Statline of Statistics Netherlands and in the CBS publication Monitor Mineralen en Mestwetgeving 2003.