Holland

In the Netherlands they have a different kind of manure system. We call it the Derogation. The biggest difference is the farmer can put 250 kg of nitrogen on the field. it’s only for graze animals(goats, cows and sheep’s).

But it’s not so easy for a farmer to get the Derogation. They have some rules to satisfy.

• There must be mines 70 % grass. The rest of the land can be another crop(like maize or grain).

• The government needs a request of the Derogation. It’s must be sent before the first of December.

• The farmer must have a fertilization plan(a plan for putting manure and fertilizer on the field, how much? And how often ).

• The farmer must find out ones in the four years how much phosphorus and nitrogen are in the soil.

• The manure you putt on the soil must be only from the graze animals(not from pigs or chickens)

• Al the manure must be injected in the soil.

Subsidies

In Holland you can earn quit a lot with subsidies. But you must know how to get them. You have to do a lot of administration before you get the subsidy.

This year (2006) there’s a new system for the subsidies. The subsidy is disconnected to the production. The subsidy you get depends on what you got in the years 2000 till 2002. The farmers get rights per hectare.

In the years 2000 till 2002 you could get subsidies for milk, bulls, beef cows, sheep, extensive farming, etc.

More information about the new system you can find here (in Dutch): http://landbouw.dotnet15.hostbasket.com/mtr/toeslagrechten.html

Here's a small discription of some subsidies:

Subsidy for rare breeds

There are subsidies for keeping rare breeds. Often the farmers earn less money when they keep rare breeds, because they have a less production. The government wants to stimulate those farmers to keep the breeds.

Nature

There are different subsidies for nature. The meaning of these subsidies is to give the nature a chance. There are subsidies for cutting the grass later, so the birds can first breed in the grass. And there are subsidies for forest and nature ground.

Countryside development

You can get subsidies for development the countryside. The farmers can make walking and biking roads, or they can build a camping. There are a lot of subsidies for different kinds of developments.

Subsidy for young farmers

Young farmers who start a farm can get subsidy. This is because it’s very difficult in Holland to start a farm. The conditions of the subsidy are:

- Younger than 40 years.

- You don’t ask other subsidies.

- Your own fortune is not more than 60% of the total fortune.

- You have a loan for at least 3 years by an official bank.

- Your farm is not older than 3 years.

- You have enough knowledge and experience to start a farm.

The subsidy you can get is 20% of the investment. The investment must be between € 25.000 and € 100.000.

Knowledge, advice and education

There are subsidies for knowledge, advice and education projects.

More information about subsidies can you find in the site of the Dutch government: www.hetlnvloket.nl → ‘onderwerpen’ → ‘subsidies’

Rules of manuring in The Netherlands

Immoderate use manure taxable more the soil and surface water.

For example nitrogen and phosphate

It’s danger for the water plants and water animals.

Some farms they have arable crops, They have rules beside the ditch.

For example potato’s, 1,5 m beside the ditch don’t spread manure and controversy weeds.

With chemicals expediency.

Two times cut the ditch sides, It’s better for the passage.

When you have a good passage, It’s also better for the soil.

Dry soil have a less of avoid minerals.

Don’t drive with tractors on wet fields, also don’t do it two day after rain.

Wet and tractor don’t together. Your soil structure is the most important thing!!

Pressure liquid from the silage and crop select it in special storage.

Don’t loss it in the ditch!!

The new manure rules from EU they shall avoid this problem and lost minerals.

- manuring only in growing seasons.

- An max population rate per ha.

Lost or leaching minerals is dependent on the weather and period from manuring.

And of course how much fertilizer and slurry.

How to avoid them?

Don’t spread manure in winter and autumn.

Also important is don’t ploughing and plough up or tear the ground after the growing season!

And it’s forbidden with snow or frozen soil.

The government will give some subsidy for new systems they avoid minerals.

First think is biogas installations.

These system use the energy in the manure and will make electric-energy.

All the manure that is coming out is better available for the soil.

Because there more bacterium in from the biogas-installation.

These bacterium make gas, that gas can you using for making electric-energy.

Page updated 10.4.2006