The Dutch manure crisis (Dutch: mestcrisis) is an anticipated surge in the surplus of manure in the Netherlands. It is mainly caused by the phasing out of an exemption to the European Union's Nitrates Directive in the years 2023–2025. Because of this manure derogation, Dutch farmers had been allowed to exceed a limit on organic fertilization, intended to protect water resources from nutrient pollution, since 2006.
Due to its expiration, mainly cattle farmers would no longer be able to use all the manure produced to fertilize their lands, resulting in an anticipated yearly surplus of 95 kilotonnes (210×106 lb) of nitrogen in 2026.
Background
editTo combat nutrient pollution of water, the European Union has limited the use of organic fertilizer to 170 kilograms per hectare (150 lb/acre), where the weight refers to its reactive nitrogen contents.[1][2][3] The Netherlands was exempted from this regulation of the Nitrates Directive starting in 2006, and farmers were allowed to use between 35% and 47% more organic fertilizer.[3][4] The European Commission repeatedly found widespread violations of these limits through regulatory fraud.[3] This exemption, referred to as the manure derogation, was not extended in September 2022, and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Henk Staghouwer agreed to phase it out over the years 2023–2025.[1][5]
The agreement also included the creation of buffer zones around watercourses in which no fertilization would be allowed as well as the designation of areas as nutrient-polluted.[4] The latter would have a quicker phasing out of the derogation and a ceiling on total fertilizer usage (including artificial fertilizer).[1] The initial zones included sandy and loess soils in Overijssel, Gelderland, Utrecht, North Brabant, and Limburg in addition to three more areas, covering a combined 40% of the surface area of the Netherlands.[2][4] On 6 December 2023, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Piet Adema announced that the areas designated as nutrient-polluted would be expanded to cover 60% of the Netherlands.[2][3] This mostly affected the Groene Hart as well as the provinces of Zeeland, Flevoland, Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe.[2]
A surge in the manure surplus was anticipated as a result of these measures allowing less organic fertilization to occur. According to de Volkskrant, this would affect cattle farmers most severely, as they could previously rely on liquid manure to fertilize their expansive lands. Manure not directly used as organic fertilizer – common in pig and poultry farming – was typically used domestically in manure processing factories or exported.[3] The yearly Dutch manure surplus amounted to 15–30 kilotonnes (33×106–66×106 lb) of nitrogen in the years 2021–2022. This was expected to rise to 95 kilotonnes (210×106 lb) of nitrogen in 2026 by the independent Dutch Center for Valorisaton of Manure (NCM), who performed an investigation at the request of Het Financieele Dagblad. Over 80% of that increase was attributed to the expiration of the derogation and the fertilization-free buffer zones. The expansion of the nutrient-polluted areas would result in a similar decline in fertilizer usage, but the NCM estimated three quarters of that decline would concern artificial fertilizer – not impacting the manure surplus.[2] The NCM's director said he expected the costs of manure disposal of €20–€25 per tonne of nitrogen to double.[2]
Political response
editThe cabinet created a €120-million fund to partly compensate the farmers most affected.[3][5] In December 2023, the House of Representatives passed a motion by the VVD with widespread support calling on the cabinet to present an action plan to tackle the crisis before March 2024.[1][2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Hermenet, Coen (22 December 2023). "Geen ramkoers, wel zorgen in Kamerdebat landbouw en natuur" [Not on a collision course, but worries are present in House debate on agriculture and nature]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Van der Boon, Vasco (22 December 2023). "Mestmarkt stevent af op acute crisis vanwege strenge regels" [Manure market headed for an urgent crisis because of strict regulations]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Hofs, Yvonne (31 December 2022). "De peperdure mesthoop groeit de boer straks boven het hoofd, als vanaf 1 januari de beperkingen gaan gelden" [The expensive manure surplus will consume farmers, when limits will take effect on 1 January]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Groenendijk, Piet; Cals, Twan; Kros, Hans; Renaud, Leo; Voogd, Jan-Cees (July 2023). Effecten van de afbouw van mestderogatie op emissies van ammoniak en broeikasgassen en op waterkwaliteit [Effects of the phasing out of manure derogation on the emission of ammonia and greenhouse gasses and on water quality] (pdf) (Technical report) (in Dutch). Wageningen Environmental Research. pp. 9 and 13. doi:10.18174/633303. ISSN 1566-7197. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Nederlandse mestuitzondering verdwijnt per 2026, boeren krijgen compensatie" [Dutch manure exemption will be ended in 2026, farmers will be compensated]. NOS (in Dutch). 5 September 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2024.