Manure surpluses in agriculture, 1970-2024

Nitrogen surplus

Between 1986 and 2006, the nitrogen surplus in agriculture halved from 775 to 376 million kg N. The nitrogen surplus has mainly decreased due to increasingly lower fertilizer application (since 1999) and smaller production of manure by livestock. A new manure policy came into effect in 2006, with application criteria for fertilisers. In the following years, the surplus fell significantly. In 2024 the nitrogen surplus was 295 million kg N. This is higher than the surplus of 262 million kg N in 2023. The difference was mainly due to good weather conditions in 2023 in the Netherlands in spring and summer, the autumn of 2023 and spring of 2024 were very wet which had an negative effect on the crop yields in 2024. The nitrogen surplus partly dependents on weather conditions, because crops fixate nitrogen.
The fertilizers supplied to agricultural land are being used increasingly better. In 2024, 57 percent of the nitrogen supplied to agricultural land was converted into plant production (roughage and crops). This is called the nutrient use efficiency. In the 1990s this was still approximately 47 percent.

Phosphorus surplus

In the last decade, the phosphorus surplus in agriculture has virtually disappeared. In 1990 the phosphorus surplus was 69 million kg P, in 2023 and 2024 the surpluses were 3 and 8 million kg P respectively. The phosphorus use efficiency on agricultural land is almost 100 percent. In 2024, utilization was only 87 percent, due to the wet conditions in 2024. With good weather conditions we are around 94 percent in 2023. In the 1990s, phosphorus utilization was approximately 50 percent. Big progress was made since the 1990s. 

Policy

In 2006 a new fertiliser policy based on application criteria for fertilisers was introduced in the Netherlands. Manure production has also been restricted. Since 2010, varies policies were introduced to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus. The two most well-known examples are Fosfaatrechten (Phosphorus Rights) and Programma Aanpak Stikstof (Program Approach Nitrogen) or better known as PAS. In 2018 Phosphorus Rights were introduced by the Dutch government. In 2015 the PAS was introduced for nitrogen, but rejected by law in 2020. Therefore the Stikstofwet (Nitrogen law) was introduced the following year. The law requires that by 2035 at least 74% of the area of nitrogen-sensitive nature in protected Natura 2000 areas has a nitrogen level that does not exceed the critical deposition value (KDW).