Nutrient Resources Management in Baltic Agriculture – Solving the Eutrophication Problem

1. Nutrient resources management within Baltic agriculture – the key to solve the Baltic eutrophication problem 25 April 2015, Vilnius Mr Gunnar Norén Executive Secretary toCoalition Clean Baltic

2. Content of the Presentation ·Baltic Sea eutrophication ·P and N , necessary for mankind. Cannot be sustituted. ·Nutrient management on farmland today ·Saving valuable Nutrient resources for fertilizers ·HELCOM regulations on agriculture nutrients ·Future directions for Fertilizers management *Recommended Nutrient surplus levels

5. Nitrogen and Phosphorus essential elements for plant growth • Cannot be substituted– necessary for cropproduction & life on planet Earth * Strategicnaturalresources for mankind • Relatively small proportion ofphosphorusfertilizersapplied to foodproduction systems is taken up by crops (20 %) • A significantfractionofapplied N and P makes itsway to the sea • Push marine and aquatic systems acrossecologicalthresholds

6. Sources for Phosphorus fertilizer - Global KLICKA FÖR ATT SKRIVA

7. Global Phosphorus production-Peak phosphorus US Geological surveys have updated world-wide P-resources. Peak-P delayed another 30 years

8. European Phosphorus useP – announced as one of 20 Critical Raw Materials of EU Lost P in European wastewater stream could cover 15 % of the European mineral P demand

9. Nitrogen and Phosphorus flows to biosphere & oceans • Biogeochemicalcyclesof N and P havebeenradicallychanged by humans, as resultofmanyindustrial and agriculturalprocesses * • Human activitiesnowconvertmoreatmospheric nitrogen intoreactive forms than all of the Earth’sterrestialprocessescombined • Stockholm Resilience Center-Sustainable Sciences for Biosphere Stewardship

10. Planetary Boundaries : The current status of the control variables for seven of the nine planetary boundaries boundariesboundaries Source: Steffen and others, 16 January 2015, Science

11. AGRICULTURE and EUTROPHICATION Baltic agriculture – contribute with more than 50 % of the nutrient load (Nitrogen & Phosphorus) We are loosing from Baltic farmland soils 10 000 ton P / year 230 000 ton N / year Nutrient resources are wasted !

13. Agricultural N and P balances • OECD countries submit annual calculations of soil N and P balance (also EUROSTAT) • N and P-application levels in Europé correlated to GDP and to population density • NOT correlated to fertilizer requirement(soil N and P status, or expected crop yield) • Net P-application is justified if soil has low P, as is the case in much of Central-Eastern Europe

14. Soil phosphorus – negative correlation • Proportion of land withhigh P-status (good or verygoodsoil P supply) is over 50 % in Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden • The proportion of land withhigh P-status is verymuchlower in EU 12 ’accession’ statesthan in EU 15 • Comparisonofsoil P status to P fertiliserbalance shows a negative correlation:thatis, the oppositeofagronomiclogic – soilsneedinghigher P applicationare overall actuallyreceiving less, and soilswithverygood or excess P status, needing no mineral or organic P-application, receive the highestamounts

15. Cumulative balances and environmental impacts -Sinceintroductionof EU NitratesDirective (1991/676) total N surplusapplied on land, in Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark has exceeded 2000 kg N/ha • Cumulative Nitrogen balancesaresignificantlylower in the EU 12 ’accession’ states • Comparison shows – countrieswithhighercumulatives N balanceshaveHighlevelsofNitrategroundwater pollution • Countrieswithlowercumulative N balanceshavelowernitrate pollution

16. Estimated trends in Europeanreactive nitrogen emissions between 1900 and 2000 (EU-27) (European Nitrogen Assessment, Cambridge Univ. 2011)

17. Conclusion • EU regulationsare not achievingtheirobjectives (Safegroundwater, No eutrophication ) regardingnutrientapplication and resulting pollution

18. Recommendationsfor Nitrogen fertilization • Limit N-application to take into account manure nitrogen, both as applied in same year and accumulated from previous years • Include soil N status and cumulative N balances in agro-environmnetal indicators

19. Recommendations for phosphorus fertilization • Application limits for P, takingintoaccountcrop P response • Limit P-application , takeintoaccount P in manureappliedduring the year and accumulated over previousyears • Complete banning of P-application from manure over 22 kg P / ha (HELCOM Annex III-Prevention of pollution from agriculture)(if not a shortageof P in soils, according to Nutrient-balancedcalculations) • Banning P-application to soilswhichalreadyhave excess of P (No P-fertilization on P-saturatedsoils)(No manure on suchsoils) • Includingsoil P status and cumulative P balances in agro-environmentalindicators

20. For all Fertilizer use • Among EU Member States-harmonization calculation methods for organic manure N and P contents and uptake over years; Maximum permissable (plant uptake organic + total mineral) N doses • Undertaken in Nitrates Directive National Action Programs • HELCOM has agreement(2013) to set up harmonized nutrient levels in various manure

21. Major reconstructuring of livestock production across Europé is essentialEU Policy failures • EU environmental policies are not effective in reducing nutrient pollution if livestock density is market driven • Up to 30-50 % of all European freshwaters have to high nutrient levels, creating eutrophication etc • European regional sea areas, Baltic Sea & North Sea, have Eutrophication problems • Regions with excess manure can sustain, only if surplus manure are exported out from the region(e.g. Flanders, Britanny, Germany)

22. The roleof the farmer is crucial – importanceofindividual farmers decisions. Farmers-businessmen, primaryaim is to optimisetheirproduction system to the benefit ofthemselves Potential for change for increased N efficiency (%) and that achieved in practice by skilled farmers (European Nitrogen Assessment, Cambridge Univ. 2011)

23. Nitrogen application ’map’ based on crop scanning by a tractor-mounted N-sensor Precision N-application, out from sensor maps

24. HELCOM regulations on agriculture nutrients • HELCOM Annex III, part 2 - Prevention of pollution from agriculture (Helsinki Convention is legally binding) • Request Nutrient-balanced fertilization – Application of fertilizer nutrient shall be balanced with the need of the crops - No overfertilization • Controlled via ”Nutrient surplus on farmland” calculations

25. HELCOM Ministerial meeting, October 2013 decided *WE AGREE applying by 2018 at the latest annual nutrient accounting at farm level taking into account soil and climate conditions giving the possibility to reach nutrient balanced fertilization and reduce nutrient losses at regional level in the countries *With a view to fully utilize nutrient content of manure in fertilization practices and to avoid overfertilization WE ALSO AGREE to establish by 2016 national guidelines or standards for nutrient content in manure and to develop by 2018 guidelines/recommendation on the use of such standards;

26. Requirements on Baltic farmland *Mandatory Nutrient bookkeeping (N & P) and Nutrient Surplus calculation (kg N & P/ha,y) at soil-field level *Baltic countries develop National tolerable nutrient surplus limit values (max kg N/ha,y , kg P/ha,y) (HELCOM agreement 2013)

27. Nutrient application and Nutrient Surplus levels • Nitrate Directive : max 170 kg N/ha,y • Complete banning of N-surplus over 50 kg N/ha,y • Tolerable N-surplus – crop production: 20-25 kg N/ha,y • Tolerable N-surplus – animal production: 25-35 (40) kg N/ha,y -------------------------------------- • Max P from manure: 22 kg P/ha,y (HELCOM Annex III) • Tolerable P-surplus levels: 0-2 kg P/ha,y

28. Phosphorus soil balance in regions of SwedenShortage & Surplus KLICKA FÖR ATT SKRIVA

29. Nutrient balancing to be applied on 3 levels • Soil/fieldlevel • Farm/neighbourhood/region level • National level (canalsoincludemanurenutrient export to outsidefields/regions/nations)

30. Intensive Agriculture in Baltic catchment • If mostof the farmland in Baltic EU accession countrieswillapply * Intensive agriculturalpracticeswithlow-standard nutrient management • Baltic Sea eutrophicationwillincrease • Impossible to solve the Baltic eutrophication problem withoutbetterNutrient management on Baltic farmland

31. Estimatedenvironmentalcostsdue to reactive nitrogen emissions to air and to water in the EU-27 (European Nitrogen Assessment, Cambridge Univ. 2011)

32. Environmental damage related to N effects from agriculture in EU-27 • Environmnetaldamageestimated to 20 – 150 billion Euro per year • Can be comparedwith the benefits on N-fertilizers for farmers of 10 – 100 billion Euro per year • Withconsiderableuncertaintyabout long-term N-benefits for cropyield (European Nitrogen Assessment, Cambridge Univ. 2011)

33. Public money (Taxes) – for Public goods • National CAP-subsidies should support – solving the overfertilization & Baltic Sea eutrophication problem • Rural Development Plans & Agro-Environmental programmes Feed the crop – Not the soil

34. Thanks for your attention!

35. Annual nitrogen flows (kg/ha) in a pigfarming system