Between 1995 and 2021, the agricultural sector started producing more and emitting less, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) concludes in a study published on Thursday. In recent years, both greenhouse gas emissions and production have remained more or less stable.
Two years ago, agriculture produced 20 percent more than in 1995, Statistics Netherlands writes. Greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, are 17 percent lower, and the amount of nitrogen that ends up in the soil or air has fallen by more than half. Agriculture also emits considerably less phosphorus and particulate matter.
A large part of the greenhouse gases emitted by agriculture is methane from the intestines of cows and from microorganisms that break down manure. Converted to CO₂, methane has the largest share in climate change in Dutch agriculture. In addition, the natural gas consumption of greenhouses also causes a lot of CO₂ emissions.
Little happened
“The biggest drop in nitrogen emissions is due to the Nitrates Directive, which was introduced in the early 1990s to improve water quality,” says Jan Peter Lesschen, soil and climate researcher at Wageningen University. “Since then there has been a lot of talk, some rules have been tightened, animal numbers have decreased somewhat here and there, but not much has actually happened. The really big plans have yet to be implemented.” The cabinet wants to halve nitrogen emissions in 2030 compared to 2019, and this year will focus on the three thousand ‘peak loaders’.
Although agriculture has become more efficient, says Lesschen, this is not reflected in nitrogen emissions. “That is because agriculture has started to produce more at the same time.”
Ways to reduce greenhouse gases are still young compared to nitrogen innovation, but Lesschen already sees several promising technologies emerging. “For example, it appears to be effective to add resources to animal feed so that less methane is produced in the stomach of the cow.”
Moreover, nitrogen and greenhouse gas reduction are intertwined. “Fertilizing also releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Less fertilization therefore also results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.”
Skewed relationships
Compared to the entire Dutch economy, agriculture has become less important. In 1995 the sector still represented 3 percent of total GDP, in 2020 it will be 1 percent. Greenhouse gas emissions have since remained stable at 12 percent of the total. So farmers already emitted a lot compared to other parts of the economy, but the ratios have become even more skewed in 25 years.
Statistics Netherlands has not included companies that are involved in agriculture, but do not directly participate in it. The whole ‘agri-complex’ together is about three times the size of the farms alone. Lesschen: “If you look at the entire chain, the economic value is greater and the emissions are lower on average.”
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