Fertiliser reduction: A road map for UK dairy.

Half of global food production relies on synthetic fertiliser manufactured from natural gas and other mined natural resources. Together, manure and synthetic fertilisers contribute greater CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gas emissions than global aviation and shipping combined. Furthermore, inefficient use results in air and water pollution, resulting in damage to ecosystems and possibly human health.

This study was undertaken to grasp how the UK dairy industry could; reduce or eliminate synthetic fertiliser use, while maintaining profitability, production and stocking rates. Find a pathway for achieving circular nutrients, and understand the role of regenerative agriculture, diverse forage mixes and soil health. This study was directed at Northern Europe where high land prices have led to intensive family farms, with maximised animal density, in a climate similar to the UK, and the USA, home of the term ‘regenerative agriculture’.

It’s evident from my research and study tour, that there isn’t a silver bullet solution, which could resolve dairy farming’s reliance on artificial fertiliser. In this report I have focused on industry changes, which I believe will have a positive impact, not only environmentally, but also economically, as nutrient loss is an economic loss. It was non-negotiable that any solutions would be available and beneficial to all dairy farmers, regardless of scale/location etc, meaning any findings would be impactful.  

Implementing an efficient nutrient accounting system that uses verifiable data, is fair and logical, has farmer buy-in, offers a range of benefits, and is flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen issues such as TB restrictions, is a tall order. Crucially, it must incentivise genuine behaviour change - not just box ticking or appeasing government requirements. The Dutch system appears to have already achieved this.

On many dairy farms, purchased concentrate feed contributes to an excess of nutrients. While advanced technologies exist to recycle these nutrients, they are often uneconomical to implement. Centralised anaerobic digestion could provide the scale required for all farmers to access nutrient recovery, without the capital expenditure and management responsibilities. Historically, mixed farms maintained a circular nutrient system by balancing resources across multiple co-dependant enterprises. Economic pressures have led to farm specialisation; agriculture must now adopt a nationwide approach to reintegrate this mixed, circular farming model.

The forages grown by dairy farmers play a crucial role in mineralising and utilising nutrients from organic manures, which must provide resilient swards that withstand the increasing extremes of UK weather. However, the current recommended list system lacks data on ryegrass root development, which could be valuable for capturing nutrients and reducing pollution.