agricultural emissions have hardly fallen in recent years

ANP

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 01:43

Total emissions in the Dutch agricultural sector have hardly fallen in recent years, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. The research agency looked at emissions from agriculture between 1995 and 2021.

Most of the emissions were lower than in 1995, but the decrease in greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions has stagnated in recent years, Statistics Netherlands concludes. Greenhouse gas emissions fell until 2003, after which they rose slightly. The nitrogen surplus was halved between 1995 and 2008, but has barely decreased since then.

What is the nitrogen surplus?

Nitrogen surplus refers to the amount of nitrogen that is not used for anything. This is calculated by reducing artificial fertilizer and other supplied products containing nitrogen by the amount of nitrogen in animal products such as milk and meat and vegetable products such as arable and horticultural crops.

The emission of particulate matter from greenhouses and stables, among other things, fell in 2003 because there were fewer chickens due to bird flu, but then rose again. Emissions from mobile agricultural equipment did fall sharply, however. Since 1995, their particulate matter emissions have decreased by 75 percent, but these machines still account for a large share of the total particulate matter emissions in the sector.

In the agricultural sector, the majority of greenhouse gases are emitted by dairy farming (36 percent in 2020). Most methane comes from cattle. The dairy sector also emits the most ammonia and nitrogen oxides.

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