Lower nitrogen and phosphate output from animal manure
| Cattle (million kg) | Pigs (million kg) | Poultry (million kg) | Other livestock (million kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 337.0 | 97.4 | 58.9 | 18.8 |
| 2018 | 327.4 | 96.6 | 56.8 | 22.7 |
| 2019 | 315.7 | 93.7 | 56.0 | 24.3 |
| 2020 | 320.1 | 91.8 | 54.7 | 22.8 |
| 2021 | 311.0 | 87.8 | 52.8 | 22.0 |
In 2021, nitrogen excretion in manure from cows, pigs, poultry and other livestock amounted to 473.7 million kg. This is 30.7 million kg below the manure production ceiling of 504.4 million kg. It is the fourth consecutive year Dutch nitrogen excretion levels fall below the production ceiling. Nitrogen excretion by livestock has decreased by 38 million kg since 2017. The largest contributor to this reduction (26 million kg) was the dairy sector, mainly due to reductions in cow and young stock herds.
Phosphate excretion decreased by 1.8 million kg last year, to 149.0 million kg. This puts it well below the production ceiling of 172.9 million kg for phosphate.
| Cattle (million kg) | Pigs (million kg) | Poultry (million kg) | Other livestock (million kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 97.4 | 37.5 | 27.5 | 6.6 |
| 2018 | 90.7 | 37.6 | 25.8 | 7.7 |
| 2019 | 85.7 | 36.8 | 25.1 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | 82.7 | 36.7 | 24.1 | 7.3 |
| 2021 | 83.0 | 35.0 | 23.7 | 7.3 |
Nitrogen excretion by dairy cattle below ceiling
Last year, dairy cattle (including young stock) excreted 277.7 million kg of nitrogen, i.e. 3.0 percent less than in the previous year. This brought dairy livestock excretion of nitrogen below the manure production ceiling (of 281.8 million kg). It is the second time the dairy sector stayed below the production ceiling since the milk quota was abolished in 2015.
At 73.7 million kg, phosphate excretion in the dairy farming sector stayed well below the production ceiling of 84.9 million kg. Production was virtually equal to 2020. The fact that nitrogen excretion decreased but phosphate excretion remained the same in the dairy sector is related to the composition of cattle feed. The silage contained within this feed last year mainly consisted of grass harvested in 2020, and to some extent grass harvested in 2021. The part harvested in 2021 had a low nitrogen content, resulting in a lower average nitrogen content. On the other hand, the grass harvested in 2021 had a higher phosphorus content.
Both nitrogen and phosphate excretion levels in dairy cattle and other grazing livestock are highly dependent on the composition of silage grass and silage maize. Weather conditions over the period 2017-2020 resulted in relatively high nitrogen content but low phosphorus content of the silage. Furthermore, in recent years there has been less silage available with low nitrogen content, due to shrinkage of the maize cultivation area. This means an increased proportion of high-nitrogen silage.
| Nitrogen production ceiling (production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Dairy cattle (production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Pigs (production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Poultry (production ceiling per animal category = 100) | National herd total (production ceiling per animal category = 100) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 100 | 107.7 | 98.2 | 97.6 | 101.5 |
| 2018 | 100 | 102.9 | 97.4 | 94.1 | 99.8 |
| 2019 | 100 | 99.3 | 94.5 | 92.8 | 97.1 |
| 2020 | 100 | 101.7 | 92.6 | 90.6 | 97.0 |
| 2021 | 100 | 98.6 | 88.6 | 87.6 | 93.9 |
| Phosphate production ceiling (Production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Dairy cattle (Production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Pigs (Production ceiling per animal category = 100) | Poultry (Production ceiling per animal category = 100) | National herd total (Production ceiling per animal category = 100) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 100 | 102 | 94.6 | 100.3 | 97.7 |
| 2018 | 100 | 92.6 | 94.7 | 94.3 | 93.6 |
| 2019 | 100 | 88.9 | 92.7 | 91.6 | 89.9 |
| 2020 | 100 | 86.7 | 92.4 | 87.8 | 87.2 |
| 2021 | 100 | 86.7 | 88.3 | 86.6 | 86.2 |
Pig and poultry manure produced less nitrogen and phosphate
The excretion of nitrogen and phosphate by the pig and poultry herd is mainly related to the herd size. These animals are not fed roughage but mostly compound feed with a fairly constant composition. The herd reductions over the past five years have led to a continuous decline in excretion levels of nitrogen and phosphate in pig and poultry manure.
In the pig farming sector, nitrogen excretion fell by 4.0 million kg (4.3 percent) last year, to a total of 87.8 million kg. Phosphate excretion decreased by 1.6 million kg to 35.0 million kg. Both declines are related to herd reductions in terms of fattening pigs (over 3 percent reduction) and breeding pigs (almost 6 percent reduction). Nitrogen and phosphate excretion by the national pig herd has remained below the respective ceilings for this herd since 2016.
In the poultry farming sector, nitrogen excretion dropped by 3.3 percent, phosphate excretion by 1.5 percent. Nitrogen excretion amounted to 52.8 million kg and phosphate excretion 23.7 million kg, both falling below the manure production ceiling.
In 2021, nitrogen excretion by other livestock declined by 0.8 million kg (3.5 percent) to 22.0 million kg. This is entirely attributable to the ban imposed on mink farming as of 1 January 2021.
Related items
- Survey description - Production of livestock manure and nutrients
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