Transport and processing of manure in the Netherlands, 1994-2001

Approximately 70% of transported manure remains within Dutch agriculture. The rest is exported or processed commercially.

	1994	1995	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001

Nitrogen¹⁾	million kg N
Origin of transported manure
- Dutch farms	121.1	120	107.9	98.3	117.1	102.5	103.9
- International (= imports)	0.9	0.9	.	0.3	0.7	1.3	0.4

Destination of transported manure
- Dutch farms	100.9	99.2	96.6	81	98.2	78.0	77.3
- International (= exports)	17.4	18	8.6	10.1	13.5	16	18.4
- Processing companies ²⁾	3.5	2.7	.	5	5.2	4.3	5.1

Phosphate	million kg P₂O₅
Origin of transported manure
- Dutch farms	78.5	72.4	63.7	60.5	72.0	65.0	66.9
- International (=imports)	0.5	0.5	.	0.2	0.3	0.7	0.3
Destination of transported manure
- Dutch farms	65	60.1	57.2	49.2	58.2	47.0	46.7
- International (= exports)	12.1	11.3	5.6	7.4	10.7	13.8	16.2
- Processing companies ²⁾	1.8	1	0.5	2.1	2.4	1.8	2.0

Source: CBS and Agricultural Levies Office.					CBS/EDC/Sep03/0403
¹⁾ The amount of nitrogen in manure is exclusive of gaseous losses from stables/sheds and storage. ²⁾ Balance of supply and withdrawal by processing companies (= amount of processed manure).

Developments in withdrawal of minerals

In order to meet the statutory standards, farms that produce too much manure take it to farms that still have legal application potential for using the manure, to manure processing companies and to other countries. The transported manure is measured as quantities of nitrogen and phosphate.
Approximately 70% of the nitrogen and phosphate in manure removed by farms in the Netherlands is moved to other Dutch farms. Exports have been on the increase since 1997. In 2001, slightly more nitrogen and phosphate was removed than in the previous year.

Statutory standards

In the period 1994-2001, the maximum use of manure per hectare permitted by law fell from an average of 180 kg phosphate per hectare in 1994 to approximately 105 kg phosphate per hectare in 2001. Since 1998, farms have responded by using feed that is less rich in minerals and by reducing animal numbers.

Statutory standards for the use of fertilisers

Technical note

Prior to 1998, the registration of the supply and withdrawal of manure by farms was the responsibility of the Stichting Landelijke Mestbank. Statistics Netherlands calculated the amount of phosphate and nitrogen on the basis of the average composition of the manure produced in those years.

With effect from 1 January 1998, the Agricultural Levies Office has recorded the supply and withdrawal of manure. Farms that submit detailed returns are required to have the ingoing and outgoing manure analysed to determine the phosphate and nitrogen levels. The amount of nitrogen in manure is exclusive of gaseous losses from stables/sheds and storage (Oenema et al., 2000). The figures for 1994 through 1997 have been corrected for this in the Environmental Data Compendium. Total withdrawal persistently exceeds supply slightly. The maximum difference is 4% and there may be a number of causes: the establishment of stocks for trading, sales of manure to private clients and statistical inaccuracies.

References

Oenema, O., G.L. Velthof, et al. (2000). Forfaitaire waarden voor gasvormige stikstofverliezen uit stallen en mestopslagen. Alterra Report 107, 186 pp., Wageningen.
CBS (2003). Statline Transport en gebruik van mest en mineralen. Statistics Netherlands, Voorburg/Heerlen.
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

More information about the transportation and processing of manure can be found on Statline (Statistics Netherlands).