| Phosphate use per ha - Derogation farms |
Decreasing trend in phosphate application
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30/10/2024
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Since 2015, phosphate application on farms in the derogation monitoring network has come mainly from livestock manure, while in previous years about 3 kg/ha also came from inorganic phosphate-containing fertilisers. Total phosphate application shows a downward trend in the period from 2006 to 2022.
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Phosphate application decreased in 2022
The total phosphate application for all farms in the derogation monitoring network shows a downward trend in the period from 2006 to 2022 (-26%), from an average of 100 kg/ha in 2006 to 74 kg/ha in 2022. This trend is visible in all regions. In 2021, the total phosphate application was slightly higher at 78 kg/ha compared to surrounding years, mainly due to a higher phosphate application from organic manure. The decreasing trend in the total phosphate application over the whole period from 2006 to 2022 is the result of a decrease in permissible phosphate application per hectare by lowering the phosphate application standards and because the phosphate application standards depend, since 2010, on the phosphate status of the soil (phosphate differentiation). In the 2009-2014 period, for farms in the derogation monitoring network, the phosphate application consisted on average for 96-97% of livestock manure. In 2006 this share was on average still at 88%. This was caused by a decrease in the use of inorganic phosphate-containing fertilisers from 11 kg/ha in 2006 to approximately 3 kg/ha from 2009. Since 15 May 2014, inorganic phosphate-containing fertilisers can no longer be used on derogation farms. The share of phosphate application from livestock manure has therefore increased further to an average of 99% from 2015 to 2020. In 2021 and 2022 it was 98%. Phosphate application from other organic manure is very limited on farms in the derogation monitoring network. In most years it is half a kg/ha or less, although an increase took place in 2021 and 2022 to respectively 1.2 kg/ha and 1.3 kg/ha.
The difference between phosphate use and phosphate application capacity fluctuates
The average phosphate application standard on farms in the derogation monitoring network decreased from 108 kg/ha in 2006 to about 84 kg/ha from 2015. As a result, the difference between the phosphate application standard and the phosphate fertilisation decreased from 8 kg/ha in 2006 to around 5 kg/ha in the period from 2011 to 2014. Since 2015, the difference between the phosphate application standard and the phosphate fertilisation has increased again to 13 kg/ha in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the difference decreased again to 10 and 7 kg/ha, respectively, due to an increasing use of phosphate from livestock manure. In 2022, the unused phosphate application capacity rose slightly to 11 kg/ha because of lower phosphate use from organic manure.
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