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The Netherlands and Denmark are the two biggest pig meat exporters in Europe, both with a strong focus on the German market. The structure of pig farms is very different: an average Danish pig farm has 3500 pigs, 170 ha of agricultural land on which a major part of the feed cereals are grown, whereas a typical Dutch pig farm has 2500 pigs with only 10 ha. As a consequence, Dutch pig farmers have to purchase all feedstuff and need to dispose nearly all the manure off-farm. A literature based study revealed that the main factors for the contrasting development were a stronger competition for land, resulting in higher land prices, and stimulation of intensive animal husbandry in the Netherlands, while in Denmark environmental policies more strongly coupled manure production to land area. As a result the Dutch pig farmers have focused on intensification of livestock production on small holdings using external sources of feed supply, and Danish farmers on efficient production of feed cereals on large holdings. Due to a gradual lowering of manure and fertiliser application standards, Dutch farmers increasingly have to process manure and export manure, further increasing the total costs of pig production. Manure disposal costs per kg of slaughter weight in 2011 were on average 3.5 times higher in the Netherlands than in Denmark. Manure is exported mainly to Germany and France, which also supply the feed cereals. Therefore manure export contributes to closure of nutrient cycles. Danish pig farmers are less sensitive to nutrient policies and feed prices than those in the Netherlands, but the high debt rate makes the sector vulnerable to low pig prices., The Netherlands and Denmark are the two biggest pig meat exporters in Europe, both with a strong focus on the German market. The structure of pig farms is very different: an average Danish pig farm has 3500 pigs, 170 ha of agricultural land on which a major part of the feed cereals are grown, whereas a typical Dutch pig farm has 2500 pigs with only 10 ha. As a consequence, Dutch pig farmers have to purchase all feedstuff and need to dispose nearly all the manure off-farm. A literature based study revealed that the main factors for the contrasting development were a stronger competition for land, resulting in higher land prices, and stimulation of intensive animal husbandry in the Netherlands, while in Denmark environmental policies more strongly coupled manure production to land area. As a result the Dutch pig farmers have focused on intensification of livestock production on small holdings using external sources of feed supply, and Danish farmers on efficient production of feed cereals on large holdings. Due to a gradual lowering of manure and fertiliser application standards, Dutch farmers increasingly have to process manure and export manure, further increasing the total costs of pig production. Manure disposal costs per kg of slaughter weight in 2011 were on average 3.5 times higher in the Netherlands than in Denmark. Manure is exported mainly to Germany and France, which also supply the feed cereals. Therefore manure export contributes to closure of nutrient cycles. Danish pig farmers are less sensitive to nutrient policies and feed prices than those in the Netherlands, but the high debt rate makes the sector vulnerable to low pig prices.

The impact of conventional, integrated and organic practices on groundwater quality were studied in northwestern Germany. Between 1993 and 1997 nitrogen budgets and the nitrate content of the unsaturated zone (soil sampling and porous suction cups) were measured in two field trials located on a clayey loam and a loamy sand, respectively. In each year of investigation three main crops per farming system were compared according to the defined site(soil)-adapted crop rotation. There was little decrease in the NO3-concentration of the percolate and the amount of leached N (15% less) by shifting from conventional practice to integrated farming. Converting to organic farming reduced leaching losses of nitrogen by more than 50 %. Yields of the organic field plots were lower, but comparing the cash crop yields in relation to the amount of leached nitrate, the production efficiency (nitrate-N leached related to yield of crops) of the organic farming system was still clearly higher. from: HAAS, G., M. BERG & U. KÖPKE 2002: Nitrate leaching: comparing conventional, integrated and organic agricultural production systems. In: Agricultural Effects on Ground and Surface Waters - Research at the Edge of Science and Society. S. 131-136. International Association of Hydrological Science 273.