Nitrogen and phosphate in animal manure within limits for 2023
| Cattle (mln kg) | Pigs (mln kg) | Poultry (mln kg) | Other livestock (mln kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 315.7 | 99.3 | 62.0 | 20.5 |
| 2016 | 327.5 | 96.9 | 62.2 | 17.8 |
| 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 | 305.9 | 88.9 | 54.3 | 21.9 |
| 2022 | 302.4 | 88.6 | 53.9 | 22.3 |
| 2023* | 310.0 | 85.2 | 53.3 | 22.2 |
| ¹⁾ EC decision of 30 Sept 2022 granting derogation. *Provisional figures | ||||
In 2023, the quantity of nitrogen excreted in manure from cows, pigs, chickens and other livestock was 4 million kg below the relevant ceiling of 489.4 million kg. The ceiling on the excretion of nitrogen will be reduced to 440 million kg in 2025.
More nitrogen excreted by dairy cattle, but less phosphate
Dairy cattle (including young stock) excreted 277 million kg of nitrogen in 2023, which was 2.8 percent less than in 2022. Nitrogen excreted by pigs and poultry fell by 2.8 percent to 138 million kg.Following the abolition of the milk quota in 2015, the number of dairy cows increased and more manure was therefore also produced. Measures to reduce the size of the dairy herd then led to a reduction in manure production from 2017 onwards. The quantity of nitrogen excreted by livestock has been reduced by 41 million kg since 2017, while phosphate has been reduced by 23 million kg. The largest contributor to this reduction (26 million kg) was the dairy sector, mainly due to reductions in the number of cows and young stock.
| Dairy cattle (Index (2015=100)) | Pigs (Index (2015=100)) | Poultry (Index (2015=100)) | Total all livestock (Index (2015=100)) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104.3 | 97.6 | 100.2 | 101.4 |
| 2017 | 107.3 | 98.1 | 94.9 | 102.9 |
| 2018 | 102.5 | 97.3 | 91.5 | 101.2 |
| 2019 | 98.9 | 94.4 | 90.3 | 98.4 |
| 2020 | 101.3 | 92.5 | 88.1 | 98.4 |
| 2021 | 96.5 | 89.5 | 87.5 | 94.7 |
| 2022 | 95.2 | 89.3 | 86.9 | 93.9 |
| 2023* | 97.9 | 85.8 | 85.8 | 94.6 |
| *Provisional figures | ||||
Reduction in volume of phosphate excreted in livestock manure
The quantity of phosphate in livestock manure fell relative to 2022, and was 5 million kg below the phosphate ceiling for 2023 (150.7 million kg). The quantity of phosphate produced by the dairy sector reached 74 million kg last year. Pigs and poultry produced a combined total of 55 million kg of phosphate. In 2025, the production ceiling will be reduced to 135 million kg.| Cattle (mln kg) | Pigs (mln kg) | Poultry (mln kg) | Other livestock (mln kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 103.6 | 40.1 | 28.3 | 8.0 |
| 2016 | 100.5 | 39.2 | 28.9 | 6.6 |
| 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 | 83.2 | 34.5 | 23.2 | 7.1 |
| 2022 | 86.3 | 34.4 | 22.5 | 7.2 |
| 2023* | 83.1 | 33.1 | 22.4 | 7.2 |
| ¹⁾ EC decision of 30 Sept 2022 granting derogation. *Provisional figures | ||||
Roughage consumption affects composition of livestock manure
The fact that the dairy sector produced a higher volume of nitrogen but less phosphate is partly due to the composition of the roughage (silage and fodder maize) that the animals consumed. The nitrogen content of the grass silage fed to cattle in 2023 was higher due to the weather conditions that year, but its phosphorus content was lower than the previous year.Less nitrogen and phosphate in pig and poultry manure
The quantity of nitrogen and phosphate excreted in manure from pigs and poultry has been falling since 2016 because there are fewer of these animals. Manure levels from other livestock, such as horses, ponies, sheep and goats, remained virtually unchanged in 2023, at 55 million kg of nitrogen and 16 million kg of phosphate.| Dairy cattle (Index (2015=100)) | Pigs (Index (2015=100)) | Poultry (Index (2015=100)) | Total all livestock (Index (2015=100)) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 96.5 | 97.7 | 102.0 | 97.3 |
| 2017 | 93.4 | 93.5 | 96.9 | 93.8 |
| 2018 | 84.8 | 93.7 | 91.1 | 89.8 |
| 2019 | 81.4 | 91.7 | 88.5 | 86.3 |
| 2020 | 79.4 | 91.4 | 84.9 | 83.7 |
| 2021 | 80.0 | 86.0 | 81.7 | 82.2 |
| 2022 | 83.2 | 85.8 | 79.4 | 83.5 |
| 2023* | 79.9 | 82.5 | 78.9 | 81.0 |
| *Provisional figures | ||||
Sources
Related items
- Survey description - Production of livestock manure and nutrients