Livestock manure; production, transport and use, key figures
| Manure and nutrients | Periods | Total excretion (million kg) | Excretion during housing (million kg) | Excretion during grazing (million kg) | Nitrogen losses in housing and storages Total nitrogen losses (N) (million kg) | Stored manure and manure during grazing (million kg) | Manure removal from farms (million kg) | Manure supply to farms (million kg) | Processed manure (excluding exports) (million kg) | Net manure exports (million kg) | Spreading area for manure (million kg) | Use of livestock manure in agriculture (million kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | 1980 | 565 | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Nitrogen (N) | 1990 | 691 | 503 | 188 | 92 | 599 | . | . | 6 | 7 | . | . |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2000 | 549 | 424 | 125 | 73 | 476 | 102 | 78 | 4 | 21 | 871 | 452 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2010 | 490 | 416 | 74 | 68 | 421 | 151 | 80 | 19 | 37 | 400 | 351 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2016 | 504 | 453 | 51 | 69 | 436 | 184 | 96 | 19 | 50 | 385 | 348 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2017 | 512 | 460 | 52 | 70 | 442 | 194 | 106 | 19 | 47 | 385 | 355 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2018 | 503 | 452 | 51 | 69 | 434 | 174 | 98 | 14 | 47 | 385 | 359 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2019 | 490 | 439 | 51 | 66 | 424 | 181 | 100 | 18 | 46 | 385 | 343 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2020 | 489 | 439 | 51 | 66 | 423 | 181 | 104 | 17 | 45 | 377 | 346 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2021 | 471 | 423 | 48 | 63 | 408 | 176 | 103 | 16 | 41 | 376 | 335 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2022 | 467 | 419 | 48 | 63 | 404 | 182 | 108 | 14 | 40 | 373 | 330 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 2023 | 464 | 414 | 50 | 61 | 402 | . | . | . | . | 350 | . |
| Phosphate (P205) | 1980 | 232 | . | . | 232 | . | . | . | . | . | . | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 1990 | 229 | 186 | 43 | 229 | . | . | 2 | 3 | 433 | . | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2000 | 191 | 156 | 34 | 191 | 65 | 47 | 2 | 13 | 212 | 173 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2010 | 179 | 155 | 23 | 179 | 80 | 40 | 9 | 21 | 159 | 140 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2016 | 175 | 159 | 16 | 175 | 93 | 39 | 9 | 33 | 134 | 121 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2017 | 169 | 154 | 15 | 169 | 94 | 41 | 9 | 31 | 135 | 116 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2018 | 162 | 147 | 15 | 162 | 82 | 37 | 5 | 33 | 135 | 117 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2019 | 156 | 142 | 14 | 156 | 83 | 37 | 7 | 34 | 134 | 110 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2020 | 151 | 138 | 13 | 151 | 82 | 38 | 7 | 33 | 138 | 107 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2021 | 148 | 135 | 13 | 148 | 78 | 37 | 6 | 30 | 139 | 107 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2022 | 150 | 137 | 14 | 150 | 81 | 41 | 5 | 29 | 137 | 110 | |
| Phosphate (P205) | 2023 | 147 | 133 | 14 | 147 | . | . | . | . | 133 | . | |
| Source: CBS. | ||||||||||||
Table explanation
This table comprises information about livestock manure production and production of nitrogen and phosphate in manure. It also includes data on excreted nitrogen that evaporates as ammonia and other nitrogen compounds or is removed as rinsing water from air scrubbers. The use of nitrogen and phosphate in agricultural holdings is calculated from the manure production and the difference between supply and removal of manure. The use of manure is related to the available spreading area based on fertilising standards.
Data available from: 1950.
Status of the figures:
Final figures;
New insights in calculation methodologies can lead to recalculation of the time series.
Changes as of 28 june 2024:
Final figures on manure production in 2023 have been added.
When will new figures be published?
In the first quarter of 2025 provisional data on manure production in 2024 will be added and final data on manure transports and manure use in 2023.
Description topics
- Total excretion
- Total excretion of manure and nutrients. In case of manure, the amount of manure (feces en urine) stored in livestock buildings and in manure storages outside livestock buildings after several months of storage, including spilled feed, cleaning water and spilled drinking water. Including manure from grazing livestock. In case of nitrogen (N), the amount of nitrogen excreted without subtraction of nitrogen losses in the form of ammonia (NH3) including removal with effluent from air scrubbers, nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NO) en nitrogen gas (N2) and in case of phosphate, the excretion of phosphate (P2O5).
- Excretion during housing
- Excretion of manure and nutrients in livestock buildings. In case of manure, the amount of manure (feces en urine) stored in livestock buildings and in manure storages outside livestock buildings after several months of storage, including spilled feed, cleaning water and spilled drinking water. Including manure from grazing livestock. In case of nitrogen (N), the amount of nitrogen excreted without subtraction of nitrogen losses in the form of ammonia (NH3) including removal with effluent from air scrubbers, nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NO) en nitrogen gas (N2) and in case of phosphate, the excretion of phosphate (P2O5).
- Excretion during grazing
- Excretion of manure and nutrients from grazing livestock. In case of nitrogen (N), the amount of nitrogen excreted without subtraction of nitrogen losses in the form of ammonia (NH3) including removal with effluent from air scrubbers, nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NO) en nitrogen gas (N2) and in case of phosphate, the excretion of phosphate (P2O5).
- Nitrogen losses in housing and storages
- Emissions of ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen gas (N2) expressed as nitrogen (N) from livestock buildings and manure storages, including nitrogen removal with effluent from air scrubbers.
- Total nitrogen losses (N)
- Stored manure and manure during grazing
- In case of manure (feces en urine) and phosphate equal to total excretion. In case of nitrogen (N), the amount of nitrogen excreted with subtraction of nitrogen losses in the form of ammonia (NH3) including removal with effluent from air scrubbers, nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen oxide (NO) en nitrogen gas (N2).
- Manure removal from farms
- Removal of manure is mainly due to a lack of sufficient land area for spreading manure. The manure spreading allowance for a farm is calculated as area of agricultural land multiplied by the amount of manure allowed per hectare. The amount of transported solid cattle- and pig manure is calculated as slurry using forfeits for P concentration of solid and slurry manure. This has been done in order to compare the quantities transported with the quantities produced that are calculated for cattle and pig manure as slurry.
- Manure supply to farms
- Supply of manure takes place mainly on agricultural holdings with enough land available for spreading manure. The amount of transported solid cattle- and pig manure is calculated as slurry using forfeits for P concentration of solid and slurry manure. This has been done in order to compare the quantities transported with the quantities produced that are calculated for cattle and pig manure as slurry.
- Processed manure (excluding exports)
- Net manure exports
- Spreading area for manure
- Use of livestock manure in agriculture
- Use of nitrogen and phosphate in animal manure on agricultural holdings. Use is calculated as production of manure on agricultural holdings plus supply of manure to agricultural holdings minus removal of manure from agricultural holdings. The use of manure comprises the spreading of stored manure by means of application techniques and the manure produced by livestock during grazing.