Nutrient surpluses

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Topics: Agriculture ,

Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001

Note: new version is available!

Nov 14, 2005 - Gross nutrient balance (CSI 025) - Assessment published Nov 2005

Generic metadata

Classification

Agriculture (Primary theme)

DPSIR: Pressure

Identification

Indicator codes

Geographical coverage:

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Contents

Policy issue: Has agriculture balanced its inputs and outputs of nutrients?

Key messages

Nitrogen surpluses from agriculture are not falling. A quarter of the total amount of nitogen surplusses originates from less than 10% of the region

Figures

Standardised nitrogen surpluses from agricultural land, EU15 The nitrogen surplus is broken down according to surplus density classes, calculated at the regional (NUTS2) level

Key assessment

The run-off of plant nutrients into Europe's rivers and seas is one of modern agriculture's most persistent environmental problems. It triggers eutrophication - a massive growth spurt in water plants which robs the water of its oxygen and makes life for other organisms impossible. In marine waters the key nutrient is nitrogen, while fresh waters are more vulnerable to phosphorus.

A "nutrient surplus" occurs when not all the fertilizers and animal manure applied to the land are absorbed by the plants or removed during harvest. In the EU, the nutrient surplus runs to 7.1 million tonnes every year - and over 95% of it is at high enough levels to trigger eutrophication.

The total nitrogen surplus has not changed since 1990. Moreover, more than a quarter of this surplus comes from less than 10% of the regions examined by the EEA. Focusing efforts on these regions, which are mainly located in Denmark, Brittany, on the North Sea coast, and in the Rhine's water catchment area, could therefore produce significant results.