1. Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion factors for livestock
SAMEN INVESTEREN IN DE OPEN RUIMTE
Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion factors for livestock
Guidelines for a common methodology
Reflections from Flanders
Luxembourg, 28 March 2014

2. Environmental and agricultural policies in Belgium: a matter of regions
Flanders
Wallonia
Brussels Capital Region

3. Guidelines for animal categorization
Harmonization is a necessity  reporting
Is the Farm Structure Survey the right standard?
Animal categories
Animal numbers
Degree of detail:
Sows with or without piglets before weaning?
Broilers vs. laying hens:
Definition of “laying”
in which category should parent animals be?
FSS = snapshot
What to do with animal categories with occupancy lower than 100% (fattening pigs, rounds of laying hens)?
 Mean livestock density

4. Guidelines for animal categorization
Flanders: parallel circuit to FSS for the collection of animal numbers within the context of the Nitrates Directive:
Calculation of the mean annual livestock density
Through automatic data collection (sanitary registration)
Through on-farm registrations (farm books)
07/12/2018

5. Reflections on three tier approach
Selection of appropriate tier depending on livestock density, animal productivity and feeding & relative importance but also depending on:
Goal of data collection (reporting, advice, control)
Moment in time: planning vs. follow-up
Animal numbers & excretion coëfficiënts
Before: advice & planning of nutrients available on farm
After: control & reporting
 Trier 3 = highest accuracy, but least applicable in planning
Nutrient in
Nutrient out
Fertilization possibilities
Manure transport out
Manure processing
Manure production
Manure transport in
Use of compost, fertilizers,…

6. Reflections on the three tier approach
Flanders
Default excretion coefficients as legal framework
Determined at high levels
= environmental protection
Specific excretion coefficients to calculate real production on farm level:
Covenant
Regression lines
Other feed and feeding techniques

7. Regression lines
Determination of excretion coefficients based on total nutrient input per animal per year
For each animal category in species pigs and poultry
Based on literature and scientific research results + simulation runs (variations of all parameters)
Cloud of points linking input to excretion  regression line
Input (kg RP/animal, year)
Excretion coefficient
(kg N/animal, year)
07/12/2018

8. Cattle
07/12/2018

9. Other reflections Output is as good as weakest input
Data collection is often very difficult
Frequency of data collection
Is yearly collection of all data in trier 3 necessary?
Feed  OK
Groundbound activities vs. other livestock
Animal productivity and animal products  genetics more determining?
Lower frequency justifiable?
Cattle: variation between individual farms is higher than variation between regions
Trade off
Follow up of different parameters should be in relation to effect on excretion
Variation in farming systems should be taken into account only if they have a certain importance in total excretion (e.g. organic farming in Flanders is app. 1% of total production)
07/12/2018

10. Proposed excretion standards
Nitrogen
Flanders is mostly at the high side of the spectrum
Except for piglets (real production of 2 kg N/animal)
Phosphorous
Current excretion coefficients in Flanders are much higher
Dairy cattle: 37,3 kg P2O5/animal, year
Fattening pigs: 4,06 kg P2O5/animal, year
Sows: 11,4 kg P2O5/animal, year
07/12/2018

11. Conclusions Harmonization animal categories = OK, but…
Standardized methods for determing excretion standards is OK, but
Three tier approach comes along with increasing scale-level:
Country > region > farm
07/12/2018

12. Thank you for your attention
SAMEN INVESTEREN IN DE OPEN RUIMTE
Thank you for your attention
Questions?