Dutch cattle are at risk of being hit by the tighter nitrogen and phosphate caps before 2025. Based on current excretion figures, it appears that the 2024 standards have been met. Dairy farming will exceed the phosphate cap, but this has no consequences.
Agriculture Minister Femke Wiersma made the announcement on the basis of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) quarterly report on Dutch livestock excreta in the second quarter. Total phosphate production for 2024 is 148 million kilos based on this second quarter. This is 2 million kilos, or 1.8 percent, below the applicable national ceiling.
Looking at individual sectors, only the dairy sector will exceed the phosphate ceiling of 73.6 million kilograms for 2024 by 3.8 percent. – Not exceeding the production ceilings of the other sector for pigs, poultry and other sectors.
Above Standard 2025
Total nitrogen production in the second quarter is 461.7 million kilos. This is 5.7 percent below the ceiling of 489.4 million kilos for this year. For 2025, the ceiling will be reduced to 135 million kilos for phosphate and 440 million kilos for nitrogen. Based on current figures, the national ceiling will then be exceeded by 9.6 percent for phosphate and 4.9 percent for nitrogen, respectively.
The dairy sector agreed that the sector would aim to reduce crude protein content in feed to a maximum of 160g crude protein per kg dry matter by 2025. CBS figures show the opposite trend. The sector will move from 161g crude protein in 2022 to 163g in 2023, based on Q2, to an average crude protein content of 164g/kg dry matter in cow feed in 2024.
