Nitrogen and phosphorus consumption, utilisation and losses in pig production: The Netherlands

In recent years pig production has been intensified in most European countr ies. This has resulted in a surplus of manure, exceeding the nutrient needs of the plants. In The Netherlands different laws have been introduced sinc e 1984 to reduce these environmental problems. In this paper the developmen t of pig production in The Netherlands, the environmental pollution by pigs and the policies to limit it are described. In addition, the approach in T he Netherlands to reducing phosphorus and nitrogen excretion and ammonia em issions by means of nutrition is discussed. Finally, the potential and mean s for reducing the environmental problems in practical pig farming in the f uture by feeding and management measures are described. (C) 1999 Elsevier S cience B.V. All rights reserved.