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Miljø- og Fødevareudvalget 2023-24
MOF Alm.del Bilag 578
Offentligt

Derogation Report 2023

Danish Report in

accordance with the

Commission Decisions

2005/294/EC, 2008/664/EC,

2012/659/EU, 2017/847/EU,

2018/1928/EU and

2020/1074/EU

Maj 2024

MOF, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 578: Orientering om 2023 afrapportering for anvendelse af kvægundtagelse i Danmark, fra miljøministeren

Ministry of Environment of Denmark

Department

Slotsholmsgade 12, 1216 Copenhagen K

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2022

MOF, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 578: Orientering om 2023 afrapportering for anvendelse af kvægundtagelse i Danmark, fra miljøministeren

Contents

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.5.1

3.5.2

3.5.3

3.6

3.6.1

4.1

Introduction

Maps of cattle holdings, arable land and livestock in kg N in 2021/2022

Introduction

Map of derogation holdings 2021/2022

Map of arable land 2021/2022

Map of livestock in kg N in 2021/2022

Use of the derogation

Trends in livestock

Controls at farm level

Control of compliance with the Danish derogation

Summary of inspection results 2023

Inspection of compliance within the derogation year

Results

General inspection of the harmony rules

Harmony rules

Soil analysis

Results of soil analyses from derogation farms

Control of fertiliser accounts

Results

Agricultural practices and water quality

Introduction

4.2

Development in agricultural practices at the national level from 2005 to 2022

4.3

Modelled nitrate leaching for farm types and geographical areas and the impact of

derogation farms at the national level – 2022 data

4.4

Development in modelled nitrate leaching in the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring

Programme 1990-2022

4.5

Measurements of nitrate in water leaving the root zone and in upper oxic

groundwater

4.6

The nitrogen flow to surface water in agricultural catchments

4.7

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4

6.1

6.2

6.3

7.1

7.2

8.1

8.2

8.3

References

Reinforced monitoring in areas characterized by sandy soils

Introduction

Method

Characterization of monitoring stations and data analysis

Results and Discussion

Indicator and monitoring system for application of phosphorus in Denmark

Introduction

Results from the P monitoring system

Results from P indicator system

Targeted catch crops scheme and targeted nitrogen regulation

Introduction

Results from 2017 to 2023

Conclusions

Cattle holdings and controls on farm level

Agricultural practices and water quality

Targeted catch crops and targeted nitrogen regulation

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2022

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8.4

8.5

The reinforced monitoring

The phosphorus indicator and monitoring system

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1. Introduction

With Commission Decisions 2005/294/EC, 2008/664/EC, 2012/659/EU, 2017/847/EU,

2018/1928/EU, and 2020/1074/EU Danish cattle holdings are allowed to derogate from the

general rules in the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC).

The relevant decisions for the data reported in this report are 2018/1928/EU and

2020/1074/EU. According to these decisions, cattle holdings could apply for authorizations to

apply livestock manure corresponding to up to 230 kg N per hectare per year if more than 80

per cent of the area available for manure application was cultivated with beets, grass or grass

catch crops. Furthermore, derogation holdings have to comply with several other conditions

laid down in the decision.

The aim of this report is to present maps showing the percentage of farms and percentage of

agricultural land encompassed by the derogation in each Danish municipality for the planning

period 2021/2022.

According to the decisions 2018/1928/EU and 2020/1074/EU, the Danish authorities shall

submit the following information to the Commission for the derogation period 2021/2022:

• According to Article 10 (1) and 12 (a): maps, showing the percentage of cattle farms,

percentage of livestock and percentage of agricultural land covered by the derogation for

each municipality of Denmark.

• According to Article 12 (g), an evaluation of the implementation of the derogation conditions,

on the basis of controls at farm level and information on non-compliant farms, based on the

results of the administrative and field inspections.

• According to Article 12 (b, c, e), the results on ground and surface water monitoring as

regards nitrate and phosphate, including information on water quality trends as well as the

impact of derogation on water quality. Further results of model-based calculations from

farms benefiting from an individual derogation.

• According to Article 12 (d and f), the results of the surveys on local land use, crop rotations

and agricultural practices including tables showing the percentage of agricultural land under

derogation covered by clover or alfalfa in grassland and by barley/pea, undersown with

grass.

• According to article 12 (h), trends in livestock numbers and manure production for each

livestock category in Denmark and in derogation farms.

The derogation decision 2018/1928/EU and 2020/1074/EU requires according to Articles 10

(2) and 12 (b), reporting of water quality data from reinforced monitoring on sandy soils and in

an area, where at least 3% of all derogation farms are located. The monitoring data is updated

with data from 2022 in this report.

Various Danish authorities and institutions have contributed to this report, edited by the

Ministry of Environment of Denmark. The respective authors, and hence responsible

institutions for the different chapters, can be found under the heading to the respective

chapters.

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2. Maps of cattle holdings,

arable land and livestock in

kg N in 2021/2022

Lars Paulsen & Lene Kragh Møller, the Danish Agricultural Agency, Ministry of Food,

Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark, November 2023

2.1

Introduction

For the planning period 2021/2022, the Danish Agricultural Agency received 28,118 fertiliser

accounts containing key figures on the use of nitrogen (commercial fertiliser and organic

manure). The accounts were registered and reviewed. The maps (Figure

2.1 – Figure 2.3)

are based on the number of agricultural holdings, kg N spread per hectare per year and arable

land used by derogation farms in 2021/2022. The fertiliser accounting year runs from 1

August to 31

of July. Accounts for 2021/2022 were to be submitted to the Danish Agricultural

Agency no later than 31

of March 2023.

In the fertiliser account, the farmer states whether the derogation was used.

This means that the individual farmer needs to apply for the use of the derogation when the

farmer submits the fertiliser quota and catch crops plan (at the latest 21st of April each year).

The information about the application is automatically transferred to the fertiliser accounting

system. The maps of cattle holdings, arable land and kg N spread from organic fertilisers per

hectare per year are based on the data reported by the farmers. In reports before 2019, a map

with livestock units per year was presented. This has from 2019 been replaced by a map

showing kg N spread from organic fertilisers, including livestock manure per hectare and year

at municipal level. In Danish regulation, it has generally from 2019 been changed to limit

livestock density at farm level via a maximum allowable N application from organic fertilisers

(instead of number of livestock). However, since one livestock unit corresponds to 100 kg N

(ex storage), the data is directly convertible and hence does not present any change in the

limitation per area.

2.2

Map of derogation holdings 2021/2022

The map (Figure

2.1)

shows derogation holdings in percentage of the total number of

agricultural holdings registered in each respective Danish municipality.

In 2021/2022, 883 derogation holdings were encompassed by the derogation. This

corresponds to 3.2 % of all registered fertiliser accounts. The applied amount of manure on

these farms ranged from 170 to 230 kg N per hectare per year. If the production of manure on

a derogation farm corresponds to more than 230 kg N per hectare, the farmer is obliged to

deliver the excess manure to one or more contractual partner-farmers.

2.3

Map of arable land 2021/2022

The map (Figure

2.2)

shows the share of arable land on derogation holdings in relation to the

total agricultural area in each Danish municipality.

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2022

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In 2021/2022, the arable land on cattle holdings encompassed by the derogation was 161,132

hectare at national scale. This corresponded to 6.7 % of the registered area used for

agriculture in Denmark.

2.4

Map of livestock in kg N in 2021/2022

The map (Figure

2.3)

shows the share of kg N distributed from cattle holdings encompassed

by the derogation holdings in relation to the total kg N from organic fertilisers in each Danish

municipality.

In 2021/2022, the kg N from organic fertilisers spread from cattle holdings encompassed by

the derogation was 32.8 million kg N in total. This corresponded to 14.1 % of all kg N in

organic fertilisers spread on the agricultural area in Denmark.

2.5

Use of the derogation

Over the first three planning periods in which the derogation was used, i.e. 2002/2003,

2003/2004 and 2004/2005, an increase in the use of the derogation was registered both

regarding the number of farms, the number of hectares and the number of livestock units

(Table 2.1). This tendency was broken in 2005/2006, where a decrease was observed for all

three measured parameters and the decreasing trend continued until the period 2008/2009.

Between 2009/2010 and 2015/2016, an overall increase in the agricultural area using the

derogation was observed, whereas the number of farms remained at a more constant level.

The general trend of Danish farms becoming bigger is reflected in these numbers and from

2016/2017 there has been a decrease in the number of farms and the number of hectares

encompassed by the derogation. From 2017/2018, the number of livestock unit was replaced

by produced kg N per year in the Danish legislation.

TABLE 2.1 Development in use of the derogation for number of farms, agricultural area

and kg N in organic fertilisers per year (livestock units (LU) until 2016/2017) from

2002/2003 until 2021/2022 (One LU=100 kg N (ex storage)).

Year

Number of

derogation

farms

of total

farms

(%)

4.0

5.0

3.4

3.2

2.8

2.4

3.3

3.9

4.0

3.7

3.8

4.0

Area of

deroga-

tion

(hectare)

123,068

128,523

134,780

115,336

111,845

92,282

90,647

134,698

164,353

175,783

162,176

189,495

205,165

of total

Area

(%)

5.0

4.2

4.0

3.9

3.6

6.1

7.4

7.1

6.7

7.7

8.2

Number

of LUs

of total

LUs

(%)

10.6

12.9

10.3

9.5

8.3

8.2

11.9

14.1

15.5

14.5

17.1

18.6

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

1,845

1,927

2,331

1,779

1,610

1,296

1,115

1,507

1,607

1,652

1,481

1,482

1,500

213,617

225,586

277,330

220,839

211,765

186,313

176,588

276,765

341,781

365,887

334,508

397,014

425,102

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2022

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2015/2016

2016/2017

1,466

1,378

4.2

3.9

210,061

205,874

8.6

8.4

443,134

439,114

Mill. kg

N spread

(org.

fert.)

19.4

19.3

of total

kg N

spread

(%)

18.1

17.8

16.8

14.5

14.1

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

2021/2022

1,312

1,284

1,197

945

883

3.9

3.7

3.0

3.1

198,195

195,804

182,950

163,732

161,132

8.2

8.1

7.6

6.8

6.7

39.6

39.1

36.8

32.9

32.8

The livestock density on derogation farms has remained at an approximately constant level,

compared to the periods 2009/2010-2016/2017 and the average number of livestock units per

farm has increased over the same period. From 2017/2018, the average livestock size and the

average livestock density were measured in kg N spread (from organic fertilisers) per holding

and in kg N spread (from organic fertilisers) per hectare per year.

By comparison, a total number of 8,913 Danish agricultural holdings had cattle as livestock in

2021/2022. These holdings spread total 106,7 million kg N from organic fertilisers and covered

an agricultural area of 795,058 hectare. This gave an average of 11,972 kg N spread from

organic fertilisers per cattle holding and an average livestock density of 134 kg N spread from

organic fertilisers per hectare on all Danish cattle farms. Consequently, approximately 9.9 % of

all cattle farms were derogation farms in 2021/2022, and the derogation (cattle) farms spread

30.8 % of all cattle-kg N in Denmark, covering 20.3 % of the total Danish cattle farm area.

TABLE 2.2 Average number of spread livestock units

(LU) per holding and per hectare

under the derogation until 2016/2017. From 2017/2018 the number of livestock is

expressed by kg N from organic fertilisers (One LU = 100 kg N (ex storage)).

Year

Average livestock size

(LU/holding)

115.78

117.07

118.97

124.14

131.53

143.76

Average livestock density

(LU/ha)

1.74

1.76

2.06

1.91

1.89

2.02

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

“Spread LU” is the term used to describe the amount of livestock manure, which is being applied to

agricultural land within the farm, as this amount can be different from the amount of livestock manure

produced at farm level due to import or export of livestock manure from/to other farms. One LU

corresponds to 100 kg manure-N (ex storage) in the Danish system.

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2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

158.37

183.65

212.68

221.48

225.86

267.89

283.40

302.27

318.66

1.95

2.05

2.08

2.06

2.10

2.07

2.11

2.13

Average livestock density

(kg N spread pr. ha)

199

200

201

204

Average livestock size

(kg N spread pr. holding)

30,171

30,475

30,769

34,772

37,176

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

2021/2022

From 2017/2018, the number of livestock units (LU) is replaced by produced kg N from organic fertilisers

per year in the Danish legislation (One LU = 100 kg N).

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2022

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FIGURE 2.1 Derogation holdings in percent of total number of agricultural holdings in Denmark in 2021/2022.

The location of each holding is determined by the address of the owner.

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FIGURE 2.2 Agricultural land encompassed by the derogation in 2021/2022 in percent of

the total agricultural area in Denmark. The location of each holding is determined by the

address of the owner.

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FIGURE 2.3 Kg N from organic fertilisers per hectare per year spread on derogation farms in percent of total

kg N from organic fertilisers in 2021/2022 in Denmark. The location of each holding is determined by the

address of the owner.

The maps (Figure

2.1 – Figure 2.3)

illustrate that derogation cattle holdings are concentrated

in the western parts of Jutland. A few holdings are located on Zealand and even fewer on

Funen and the island of Bornholm.

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2.6

Trends in livestock

According to decision 2018/1928/EU, and 2020/1074/EU the Danish authorities shall submit

information about trends in livestock numbers and manure production for each livestock

category in Denmark and in derogation farms according to Article 12 (h). All numbers have

been brought to a round number in order to have a clearer picture.

The trends in livestock numbers (i.e. number of herds

) and manure production in kg N (until

2016/2017 in number of LUs

) for each livestock category and in derogation farms can be

derived from the data shown in

Table 2.3.

Over the planning periods from 2014/2015 to

2021/2022, the number of herds have decreased for each livestock category. The total number

of Danish herds of livestock has decreased by ca. 29 % in between the planning periods of

2014/2015 and 2021/2022. From 2017/2018 the LUs is replaced by kg N.

The total number of herds does not coincide with total number of holdings in Denmark. A herd includes

only one type of livestock and some holdings keep more than one herd, e.g. cattle and pigs.

One livestock unit is defined as 100 kg nitrogen in the livestock manure ex storage.

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TABLE 2.3 Number of Danish herds of livestock and production of manure in live- stock

units (LUs) or in kg N per livestock category, rounded to the closest unit of 100 (1

LU=100 kg N (ex storage)).

Livestock

category

Year

2014/2015

No. herds

12,300

1,500

4,100

2,000

2,400

6,100

26,900

Cattle

total

Derogation

cattle

Pigs

Fur and

poultry

Sheep

and goats

Others

Total

No. LUs

1,164,70

425,100

905,300

190,500

12,200

19,100

2,291,800

2015/2016

No. herds

11,800

1,500

3,900

2,000

2,300

5,800

25,800

No. LUs

1,193,40

443,100

881,300

178,000

10,500

18,800

2,282,000

2016/2017

No. herds

11,500

1,400

3,600

2,100

2,200

5,600

25,000

No. LUs

1,186,80

439,100

883,700

183,000

10,600

18,100

2,282,200

2017/2018

No. herds

10,800

1,300

3,400

2,000

5,500

23,700

Kg N, mill.

115.2

39.6

80.0

20.2

1.0

2.2

218.6

2018/2019

No. herds

10,200

1,300

3,300

1,900

2,000

5,300

22,700

Kg N, mill.

116.4

39.1

78.5

18.6

1.0

2.2

216.7

2019/2020

No. herds

9,800

1,200

3,000

1,700

1,900

5,100

21,500

Kg N, mill.

117.2

36.8

80.2

16.7

1.0

2.1

217.2

The amount of derogation cattle herds and LUs/kg N (organic fertiliser) are a part of “cattle total” and,

thus, is not included in the summarization of herds and LUs/kg N (organic fertiliser) in “total”.

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2020/2021

No. herds

9,500

900

3,000

1,700

1,900

5,000

21,100

Kg N, mill.

117.1

44.1

85.1

11.8

1.0

2.1

217.1

2021/2022

No. Herds

8,900

900

2,800

900

1,800

4,600

19,000

Kg N, mill.

115.9

43.5

81.2

6.8

1.0

2.0

206.9

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3. Controls at farm level

Lars Paulsen & Lene Kragh Møller, the Danish Agricultural Agency, Ministry of Food,

Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark, November 2023

3.1

Control of compliance with the Danish derogation

According to Article 12 of Commission Decisions 2018/1928/EU, and 2020/1074/EU Denmark

must submit a concise report on the evaluation practice, i.e. control at farm level, to the

Commission every year.

The control of compliance with the Commission Decisions 2018/1928/EU and 2020/1074/EU

follows two strategies:

Inspection of compliance with farm management, which is carried out during the year the

farmer uses the derogation. This includes field inspections.

Control of the amount of livestock manure applied per hectare per year (control of

compliance with the harmony rules), which is carried out after the derogation year has

ended. This control is carried out as an administrative inspection of submitted fertiliser

accounts.

3.2

Summary of inspection results 2023

Compliance with management conditions:

• Inspection at the farm in January and February 2023: 64 inspections were carried out. All 64

holdings complied with the derogation management conditions, and hence none got a

remark in 2023 (Table

3.1).

Compliance with the harmony rules for holdings using the derogation:

• Administrative inspections of the submitted fertilizer accounts for 70 inspected farms in

January and February 2022: 62 holdings complied with the specific rules for derogation

holdings. One holding had a minor violation and three holdings got a fine. Four holdings are

still under investigation

(Table 3.2).

• Administrative control of the submitted fertilizer accounts: 40 inspections were carried out,

out of which 28 holdings complied with the rules. One holding had a minor violation, three

holdings got a fine and eight holdings are still under investigation

(Table 3.5).

3.3

Inspection of compliance within the derogation year

The farmers are required to fulfil certain conditions in order to use the derogation. The Danish

Agricultural Agency has inspected the fulfilment of the Danish derogation conditions on

derogation holdings from 2002/2003 through 2022/2023. Some conditions have to be checked

on site at the farm (physical inspection), for example certain ploughing conditions, which are

checked in January and February.

During the inspection at the farm, the inspector asks the following questions:

1. Does the farm have a yearly production of nitrogen in livestock manure above 300 kg of

which at least 2/3 are from cattle (2/3 of the livestock units),

i.e. is the farm mainly a cattle holding?

Has a plan been made for crops grown in the actual planning period?

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Has the manager stated that the farm intends to comply with the 230 kg nitrogen per

hectare per year derogation in the crop rotation plan?

Does the plan contain leguminous crops, e.g. red and white clover?

Has a declaration about (omitted) manure application been made?

Does the plan include ploughing grassland or grass catch crops in the next planning

period?

If the answer is “yes” in question 7: Have the fields already been ploughed by the time of

inspection?

Does 80 % or more of the acreage available for manure application cultivated with crops

with high nitrogen uptake and long growing season?

The inspection is based on 1) an interview with the farmer, 2) an inspection of the farms crop

rotation plan for the previous and coming growing season and 3) a visual inspection of fields

designated for ploughing.

At the inspection, the inspector draws up a report, which includes answers to the

abovementioned questions. At the end of the inspection, the farmer is informed whether the

holding is allowed to apply manure corresponding to 230 kg N/ha/year, i.e. whether the

derogation can be used or not. If the holding is not complying with the derogation conditions,

the holding is only allowed to apply livestock manure up to 170 kg N/ha/year. In this case, the

farmer has to find other legal means of disposing the surplus manure produced on the farm.

If a farmer informs the inspector that the derogation will not be used, the field inspection is not

carried out. An administrative control of the farm is carried out instead by the time the fertilizer

account has been submitted. This control is carried out to secure that no more than 170 kg

N/ha/year was applied.

The inspection report is submitted by the inspector to the headquarters of the Danish

Agricultural Agency for possible further administrative inspection. The Danish Agricultural

Agency verifies the data. Additional remarks made by the inspector, if any, are examined. This

includes a process where the parties of interest are allowed to make statements on the case if

an infringement is discovered.

3.4

Results

From

of January until 1

of March 2023, the Danish Agricultural Agency carried out 64

inspections on derogation holdings to inspect whether the conditions requirements were met.

The control refers to the fertilizer accounts for the planning year 2021/2022 where some

conditions are controlled in the next planning period 2022/2023.

Table 3.1

shows the results of

the inspection for the last 20 years. Only very few remarks have been given and in general a

good compliance with the rules has been noted.

TABLE 3.1 Results of on-site inspection of compliance within the derogation years

during winter.

Control

planning-

period

2003/2004

Total number of

inspections

Inspections without

remarks

Inspections with

remarks

The respective controls during the planning period 2022/2023, which have been performed in January

and February 2023 are related to the fact that the farmer has made use of the derogation in the previous

planning period, i.e. 2021/2022. This applies also to all previous control years.

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2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

2021/2022

2022/2023

3.5

3.5.1

General inspection of the harmony rules

Harmony rules

Control of the harmony rules (i.e. the amount of organic manure applied per hectare per year)

on derogation farms is carried out after the derogation year has ended.

This control is carried out within the general inspection of the Danish harmony rules. The

inspector visits the farm to inspect the production based on various production and fertilizer

account documents. Violation of the harmony rules is sanctioned.

For minor violations, the farmer receives a notification and recommendation or a warning. For

more severe violations, the farmer is reports to the police and receives a fine. Farmers that

receive a warning or a fine are reported for not complying with the cross compliance criteria.

Administrative inspection included submitted fertilizer accounts concerning the year

2020/2021, for 70 inspected farms in January and February 2022 for violation of the harmony

rules. The holdings were automatically selected for inspection, based on a previously agreed

set of “risk criteria”. The Danish Agricultural Agency has therefore no direct influence on how

many derogation holdings ware selected for “harmony rules inspection”. Out of these

administrative inspections, 62 holdings (88.6 %) complied with the specific rules for derogation

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holdings. Four holdings (5.7 %) are still under investigation, one holding had a minor violation

and three holdings got a fine (Table

3.2).

TABLE 3.2 Results of administrative inspection of compliance with the harmony rules

for farms using the derogation.

Control

Planning

period

Total

number of

Inspections

without

remarks

Inspections

with minor

violations

Inspections

with fines

Inspections

still under

investigation

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

3.5.2

Soil analysis

If the derogation is used for four consecutive years, the farmer must provide a soil analysis

where phosphorous and nitrogen levels in the soil are examined. One sample per five

hectares must be provided.

In Denmark, the soil analysis for phosphorus (the ”P-tal”) indicates the soil’s phosphorus status

and hence approximates the level of phosphorus in the soil available for uptake by the crop.

Internationally, the soil analysis is referred to as “Olsen-P”. Olsen-P is often expressed in mg P

per kg soil. In Denmark, however, the “P-tal” is expressed in mg P per 100 g soil. Olsen-P in

Danish agricultural soil is in average around 40 mg P per kg soil (P-tal = 4.0). Only a part of

the inorganic phosphorus available for the crop is extracted from the soil sample, when the

phosphorus status is determined. This extractable part accounts for approximately 5 to 10 per

I.e. inspections still under investigation at time of reporting. Numbers of inspections still under investigation

prior to 2020/2021 are not updated. Thus, these inspections may have been finalized.

Administrative inspections of the submitted fertilizer accounts for 70 inspected farms in January and February

2022 (Table 3.1)

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cent of the total phosphorous content of the soil. A P-tal between 2 and 4 is generally

accepted as a sufficient level for most crops and 2-2.5 is the lower critical soil P level. A P-tal

above 6 is considered very high.

The N-total analysis is used to determine the amount of extra fertilizer to be added to meet the

nutrient demand of the crop. The total soil N content (N-total) describes the N pool in the soil,

which potentially is available to the crops as a result of slow mineralization. In Denmark,

depending on the C/N ratio in the soil, the standard N-total is 0.13 %. The farmer cannot

expect any N-supply from mineralization, if the level of 0.13 % N-total is found. If the value is

above 0.22 %, the level is high and expected mineralization is (accounted for with) 40 kg N in

maize and cereals per hectare.

The N-total standard for grass fields is 0.18-0.22 %, and if the value is above 0.22 %, the

expected mineralization is (accounted for with) 10 kg N per hectare.

3.5.3

Results of soil analyses from derogation farms

The sampling and analyses must be carried out at least once every four years (prior to

2012/2013, the requirement was at least once every three years). The results of the

development of compliance with the requirement of soil analysis are shown in

Table 3.3.

The inspection of derogation farms for 2020/2021 showed that 47 holdings out of the 70 (67.1

%) inspected holdings had to provide soil analysis. One holding got a remark regarding soil

analysis.

The results of the soil analyses for phosphorus and nitrogen on derogation farms are shown in

Table 3.4.

TABLE 3.3: Results of inspection of compliance with the soil analysis requirement.

Control

planning period

Number of

inspections for soil

analy-

sis

Inspections without

remarks

Inspections with

remarks/still under

investigation

2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

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2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

TABLE 3.4 Phosphorus (“P-tal” after Olsen-P-extraction) and nitrogen levels in soil

analyses, given as average of all inspected holdings (n=46 in 2020/2021) and with the

lowest and highest average values at holding scale, respectively.

Control planning

period

Avg.

P-tal

(mg

P/100 g

soil)

2011/

2012

4.36

2012/

2013

4.60

2013/

2014

4.33

2014/

2015

4.60

2015/

2016

4.62

2016/

2017

4.29

2017/

2018

4.22

2018/

2019

3.98

2019/

2020

4.41

2020/

2021

4.29

Min.

2.00

2.90

2.87

3.10

2.39

2.20

3.26

2.20

2.00

Max.

6.40

6.10

8.40

6.08

6.14

6.95

7.05

4.47

6.70

7.03

Average

N-total

(%)

0.60

0.33

0.25

0.23

0.21

0.20

0.23

0.26

Minimum

0.11

0.12

0.15

0.13

0.11

0.12

0.11

0.14

0.13

Maximum

2.39

1.71

0.41

0.58

0.41

0.59

0.34

0.36

0.53

0.78

Average

N in

grass

(%)

0.36

0.24

0.48

0.24

0.22

Minimum

0.01

0.17

0.16

0.17

0.13

Maximum

1.10

0.35

2.00

0.51

0.33

0.36

3.6

Control of fertiliser accounts

Each year, the farmers submit their fertilizer accounts to the Danish Agricultural Agency. The

accounts include key data on:

• total arable land on the farm

• arable land available for application of organic manure

• data on catch crops

• type and number of livestock

• production of livestock manure (kg N and P)

• usage of organic manure including manure from contractors

• usage of fertilizers and organic matter other than livestock manure

• the farms nitrogen quota and the average phosphorus ceilings for different livestock manure,

fertilizers and organic matter other than livestock manure

• information on whether the farmer has used the derogation or not

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For the year 2020/2021, 1,030 (3.3 %) of the submitted fertilizer accounts were subject to

administrative control. 213 fertilizer accounts remain to be investigated. The data was verified

and the parties of interest were allowed to comment on their cases.

The accounts were selected based on different risk criteria. In 2020/2021, 110 (10.7 %)

derogation holdings were selected for control. The holdings were asked to submit their

updated and valid fertilization plan and to state their manure application. It was checked

whether the crop rotation plan included at least 80 % crops with high N-up- take and long

growing season as well as whether leguminous plants were included. If the derogation had

been used for four consecutive years, the farmer also had to submit the results of the soil

analysis. The share of cattle- and other animal kg N on the farm was also controlled.

3.6.1

Results

Out of the 40 administrative harmony controls, 28 holdings (70.0 %) were closed without

remarks. Four holdings (10.0 %) were closed with remarks and eight (20.0 %) inspections are

still under investigation (Table

3.5).

TABLE 3.5 Results of administrative control of compliance with the harmony rules of

farms using the derogation.

Control planning

period

Number of

inspections

Inspections without

remarks

Inspections with

remarks

Inspections still

under

investigation

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

2014/2015

2015/2016

2016/2017

2017/2018

2018/2019

2019/2020

2020/2021

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4. Agricultural practices and

water quality

Jonas Rolighed, Mette Thorsen, Gitte Blicher-Mathiesen, Department of Ecoscience,

Aarhus University, February 2024

4.1

Introduction

Since the late 1980s, Denmark has done a comprehensive and efficient effort to improve the

environmental state of groundwater and surface water by lowering nitrate concentrations,

especially through reductions of nitrate leaching from agricultural sources. The first Action Plan

on the Aquatic Environment was adopted in 1987 and has since then been followed by

subsequent action programmes to ensure efforts are made to reduce the loss of nitrogen (N)

and phosphorus (P) to the aquatic environment.

In 1998, the Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment (APAE) II was accepted by the EU

Commission as the Danish Nitrate Action Plan implementing the Nitrates Directive (1998-

2003). In 2003, a final evaluation of Action Plan II was performed. The results showed a 48%

reduction of the nitrate leaching from the agricultural sector, thus fulfilling the reduction target

set in 1987.

In the subsequent action plans, the Green Growth Agreement from 2009, the first and the

second River Basin Management Plan from 2014 and 2016 as well as the Food and

Agricultural Agreement in December 2015, further mitigation measures were adopted to fulfil

reduction targets for the N load to marine areas and the targets of the Water Framework

Directive.

In 2015, Denmark implemented the EU Greening component under CAP direct payments

(REG EU 1307/2013), implying that at least 5% of the arable land of farms shall be appointed

as ecological focus areas with a greening element such as set-aside, catch crops etc.

From autumn 2012, it was decided to establish 50,000 ha of obligatory buffer zone placed

approximately 10 m from the edge of open streams and lakes larger than 100 m2. In 2014, the

buffer zone area was adjusted from 50,000 to 25,000 ha. Since beginning of 2016, the

additional buffer zones are no longer mandatory and restricted to the former requirements of 2

m buffer zones along target streams and lakes larger than 100 m2, amounting to

approximately 6,000 ha. From 2023, for applicants of basic payment, the buffer zones are

required to have a width of 3 m.

The Political Agreement on Food and Agricultural Package from December 2015 includes a

range of measures aimed to change the environmental regulation of the agricultural sector.

The first part of this political agreement was implemented in 2016.

In 2016, farmers were allowed to use more N fertiliser. According to the APAE II agreement,

farmers were restricted in the application of N fertilisers at a level that was lower than the

economic optimum. This measure in APAE II was set to reduce the fertiliser application of

nitrogen to 10% below this optimum. This rule was regulated so that the total national nitrogen

quota was set to a fixed level but with the possibility of an adjustment relative to changes in

crop cover. This adjustment made sense as crops having a high application standard also

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have a higher nitrogen uptake. If crops such as grass increase in cover, then the fertiliser

application and N quota will increase as well. However, due to the suspension of set-aside in

2008, higher yields and increases in the prices of cereals and proteins, the gap between the

economic optimum and the national N quota increased, especially after 2008, amounting to

18% in 2015.

According to the Political Agreement on Food and Agricultural Package implemented in 2016,

extra N fertiliser application, amounting to 2/3 of the gap between the economic optimum and

the reduced N quota, was allowed. From 2017, farmers were allowed to apply nitrogen up to

the economic optimum. Additional cover of catch crops and the greening element, for instance

more catch crops and set-aside, were, among other measures, meant to counteract the

potential increase in nitrate leaching due to the extra application of N fertiliser from 2016 and

onwards.

Additionally, targeted catch crops of 145,000 ha were implemented in 2017 to counteract the

potential increase in leaching due to the extra application of N fertiliser in 2017. In 2018 and

2019, the requirement for targeted catch crops was approximately 114,000 and 139,000 ha,

respectively. For 2020, 2021 and 2022 this area was increased to approximately 373.000 ha.

The targeted catch crops scheme was introduced to ensure that the status of coastal waters

and groundwater does not deteriorate. Therefore, targeted catch crops are established in

catchments where reduction of the nitrogen load is needed. Applicants for targeted catch

crops could be all farmers who either own or lease fields for cultivation in such catchments.

The second River Basin Management Plans (RBMPII) covers the period 2015-2021 and was

adopted in June 2016. It proposes schemes for implementation of mitigation measures, such

as re-establishment of riparian areas, construction of wetlands, set-aside of organic soils,

afforestation and adjustment of greening elements. The national reduction target for the

annual marine N input in 2021 is estimated to 13,100 t N compared to the average normalized

marine N input of 56.800 t N for the period 2010-2014. However, the RBMPII only includes

mitigation measures to obtain an annual reduction of the marine N input of 6,900 t N in the

period 2015-2021 (SVANA 2016). The decision on which measures to initiate to reach a

further reduction in the annual marine N input of 6,200 t N was postponed to after 2021.

The third River Basin Management Plans (RBMPIII) covers the period 2021-2027 and was

adopted in June 2023 (Miljøministeriet, 2023). The national reduction target for the annual

marine N input from land-based sources in 2027 is estimated to 12,955 t N compared to the

average normalized marine N input of 56,300 t N for the period 2016-2018. The RBMPIII

includes mitigation measures to obtain an annual reduction of the marine N input of 7,441 t N

in the period 2021-2025 for coastal waters with N mitigation demands. An effort regarding part

of the remaining reduction amounting to 3,000 t N is to be decided in 2023/2024 and

implemented after 2025, so that the total reduction in the annual marine N input reaches

10,441 t N for coastal waters with N mitigation demands in 2027.

The N input to marine waters has been reduced incrementally along with implementation of

measures to reduce loadings from point sources and agriculture. Since 1990, approximately

half of the Danish land area is located within catchments equipped with stream water gauging

stations where the N input to marine areas is regularly measured (Kronvang et al., 2008). The

nitrogen load for ungauged catchments has been modelled using an empirical model (Windolf

et al., 2011), and the combination of measurements and modelling shows that the total annual

input to marine waters varied between 55,000 and 59,000 t N, yielding an average of

57,000 t N for the five years (2010-2014) used as status level in the RBMPII (SVANA (2016),

Wiberg-Larsen (2015)). However, the calculation of this total nitrogen input to coastal areas

has been updated and since 2017 includes a higher proportion of gauged catchments (about

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65%) as well as an improved and more detailed calculation of discharge from ungauged

catchments (Thodsen et al., 2021). For the period 2017-2021, the updated calculation yields

an annual flow-normalised nitrogen input ranging between 51,000 and 64,000 t N with the

highest value in 2019 following a year with drought-related low crop harvest. For 2021, the

normalised total nitrogen input was 55,000 t N. For 2022, the normalised total nitrogen input

was 52,000 t N (Thodsen et al., in print).

The regulation and effects described in this chapter cover the period 2005-2022. Additional

agricultural regulation, such as requirement to increase the utilisation efficiency of nitrogen in

manure (2020/21), a reduced fertiliser application norm on soil with a high content of organic

matter (2020/21) were implemented in 2020. A ban on application of solid manures in autumn

and ban on application of fertiliser on §3 extensive and permanent grasslands are fully

implemented in 2021/22 (Lov om ændring af lov om naturbeskyttelse, 2020). New mitigation

measures were introduced in 2021: The use of cover crops with N-fixing species and precision

agriculture.

The remaining part of this chapter is divided into three parts:

First, the general development in agricultural practices at national level is presented for the

period 2005-2022. This analysis is based on national register datasets from the Ministry of

Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, i.e. the single-payment register and the farmers’ mandatory

fertiliser accounts.

Second, modelled nitrate leaching, including crop distribution and nitrogen balances, is

presented for various farm types (including those benefitting from an authorisation of

derogation) and geographical areas. The impact of derogation farms is analysed based on a

dataset derived by linking data from the basic payment register, including data on the crops on

each field comprised by the farms, and the fertiliser accounts. Both datasets cover agriculture

in the year 2022. Modelling of nitrate leaching at national level is carried out by means of the

empirical model N-LES (version 5) (Børgesen et al., 2022).

Third, measurements of water quality from the National Monitoring Programme are presented

for the period 1990/91-2021/22, with particular reference to the Agricultural Catchment

Monitoring Programme (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., in print). This section includes:

•

Modelling of nitrate leaching in the agricultural monitoring catchments as referred to in

Article 10(3) in 2020/1074/EU.

Measurements of nitrate and phosphorus in water leaving the root zone and nitrate in

upper oxic groundwater, including fields receiving more than 170 kg N ha-1 in organic

manure as referred to in Article 10(2) in 2020/1074/EU.

Nitrogen in surface water, draining from agricultural catchments as referred to in Article

10(2) in 2020/1074/EU.

•

Modelling of nitrate leaching for the agricultural monitoring catchments is carried out by means

of a new version of the empirical model N-LES (version 5) (Børgesen et al., 2020, 2022). This

model is partly based on data from the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring Programme. The

model requires input data for agricultural practises (N fertilisation, cropping system), soil data

and water percolation from the root zone. Percolation is calculated using the Daisy model

(Abrahamsen & Hansen, 2000) and a standardised climate dataset from a 10 km grid net

(Danish Meteorological Institute – DMI), representing weather measurements from the period

1990-2010. The climate dataset contains dynamic correction factors for rainfall (Refsgaard et

al., 2011). Thus, modelled nitrate leaching represents the leaching in a standardised climate

(water percolation). In contrast, all measurements from the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring

represent nitrate leaching under the actual climatic conditions.

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So far, model-based calculations of phosphorus losses from farms benefitting from an

authorisation of derogation are not available but measured phosphorus concentrations in root

zone water on fields with average application of less and more than 170 kg N ha-1 in organic

manure are presented.

4.2

Development in agricultural practices at the national level

from 2005 to 2022

Crop distribution

The development in crop distribution for 2005-2022 was analysed on the basis of the basic

payment registration.

Figure 4.1

presents the results for cash crops, fodder crops and non-

cultivated areas. The year 2005 was the first year with single-payment, and it was anticipated

that the reporting of areas for this first year would be overestimated. Hereafter, the total

reported agricultural area, including set-aside, decreased from approximately 2,757,000 ha in

2006 to 2,588,000 ha in 2022.

The decrease in agricultural area of about 10,000 ha per year is due to road construction,

afforestation, urbanisation etc. During the years 2006-07, set-aside comprised about

160,000 ha. In the period 2008-2014, the set-aside obligation was suspended, and in 2008

and 2009 most set-aside areas were converted to cash crops, fodder crops and nature-like

areas. Set-aside covered between 23,000 and 33,000 ha in the period 2015-2022 as set-aside

is an element in the Danish implementation of the EU Greening. The area with cash crops and

fodder crops has decreased slightly since 2012.

Catch crops

In Action Plan III, the requirement for growing catch crops was carried over from the former

Action Plan, stipulating farmers in 2005-2009 should grow catch crops on at least 6% of the

potential catch crop area if they applied less than 80 kg organic manure N ha-1 and on 10% of

the area if they applied more than 80 kg organic manure N ha-1. The potential catch crop area

was defined according to crop type, including cereals, oilseed rape, maize, turnip rape, soy,

faba bean, sunflower, oil flax and other rotation crops without substantial nitrogen uptake in

the autumn. In 2008, the requirement for growing catch crops was raised to counterbalance

the effects of the set-aside suspension. From autumn 2009, an additional catch crop area,

equivalent to an extra 4% of the potential catch crop area, was implemented, yielding a total

requirement for the growing of catch crops of 10% or 14%, respectively. A further adjustment

of catch crop area was made to 10.7 and 14.7%, respectively, from 2020.

During this period (2005-2010), farmers growing winter crops (wheat, rye, winter barley,

oilseed rape), preventing fulfilment of catch crop requirements, were granted a reduction of the

required catch crop area. From 2011, this possibility ceased.

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FIGURE 4.1 Development in crop distribution at the national level from 2005 to 2022,

data from the single payment register.

At the same time, voluntary alternatives to catch crops were introduced such as:

•

Reduction of the farm nitrogen fertiliser quota

Growing of special crops between harvest and sowing of winter crops

Growing catch crops on other farms

Establishment of perennial energy crops

Separation and treatment of animal manure (biogas and burning of the solid fraction of manure)

From 2015, substitution of one ha of catch crop by four ha of set-aside near open streams and lakes larger than

100 m2 and located next to agricultural areas in rotation

From 2014, substitution of one ha of catch crop by four ha of winter cereals, if sown earlier than September 7.

From 2020, the area to substitute one ha of catch crop was decreased to two ha of winter cereals sown earlier than

September 7

From 2016, substitution of one ha of catch crop by one ha of set-aside

From 2022, substitution of one ha of catch crop by eleven ha of precision agriculture

From 2022, substitution of one ha of catch crop by one ha of catch crop with N-fixing species and a deduction of 50

kg N ha-1 from the N-quota due to expected effect of fixed nitrogen taken up by the following crop

•

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The possibility to grow catch crops on other farms to fulfil the catch crop requirement ceased in

2021.

Data from the fertiliser accounts show that establishment of catch crops increased from about

118,600-138,000 ha in 2005/06-2007/08 to about 481,400 ha of catch crops in 2022/23 (Table

4.1). The introduction and use of catch crop alternatives were equivalent to the effect of

13,900-95,000 ha catch crops in the period 2011/12-2022/23.

TABLE 4.1 Area with catch crops and catch crop alternatives (1,000 ha of catch crop

equivalents) reported by the farmers in the annual fertiliser account in the period

2005/06-2022/23.

05/

Catch

crops

Catch

crop

alternati

ves

06/

07/

08/

09/

10/

11/

12/

13/

14/

15/

16/

17/

18/

19/

20/

21/

22/

138.0

118.6

127.2

196.6

183.0

211.0

224.0

295.7

321.1

390.0

353.1

415.2

366.5

355.6

505.1

480.9

496.0

28.6

44.0

13.9

43.3

37.6

36.1

28.5

42.8

16.2

95.0

32.7

92.1

In 2017, a new regulation of animal husbandry was implemented. With this regulation,

additional catch crops, called “livestock catch crops”, were to be established in certain areas

on certain farms using organic fertilisers, including livestock manure. The regulation applies

only to farms cropping more than 10 ha and with the use of organic fertiliser of > 30 kg N ha-1.

In addition, the cropped area must be located in catchments with an increasing use of manure

or other organic fertilisers, and the area must drain into nitrate sensitive types of nature

habitats of the Natura 2000 area. The additional catch crops in certain areas on certain farms

using manure or other organic fertilisers can replace all or a part of the need for 80% fodder

crops on derogation farms and catch crops grown to fulfil the EU greening requirements.

Consumption of nitrogen fertiliser and nitrogen in manure

Data on the annual use of inorganic fertilisers and the use of nitrogen in animal manure are

obtained from the fertiliser accounts (Table 4.2). The application of animal manure N varied

between 216,000 and 227,000 t N from 2005 to 2022. The use of inorganic fertilisers

amounted to about 181,000-202,000 t N year-1 in 2005-2007 and increased to 205,000 and

209,300 t N year-1 in 2008 and 2009, probably due to the cultivation of previous set-aside

areas. This was expected to be a temporary effect as the procedure for setting the crop

nitrogen standards implies that an increase in agricultural area with fertiliser requirements

must be followed by an equivalent reduction in nitrogen standards. Administratively, however,

this reduction is based on statistical data on the cultivated area, resulting in a delay of two

years. Thus, in 2010-2014, the use of inorganic fertilisers decreased again, reaching 198,000

to 203,000 t N year-1. The use of inorganic fertiliser increased from 210,000 t N in 2015 to

242,000, 237,000 and 224,000 t N in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively, after the

implementation of the Food and Agricultural package, according to which farmers were

allowed to use more fertiliser after 2015. The lower use of inorganic fertiliser in 2018 compared

to the two former years is caused by an increase in organic farming, farms that do not use

inorganic fertiliser, as well as a decrease in the cultivated area. A change in the crop

distribution with higher cover of spring cereals at the expense of winter cereals also contribute

to a lower use of inorganic fertiliser of approximately 20,000 t N in 2018 as winter cereals have

a higher N uptake, higher harvest yield and therefore a higher economic optimal standard N-

quota than spring cereals. The use of inorganic fertilisers amounted to 223,000 t N in 2019,

which is almost the same level as in 2018. For the growing season 2019, farmers were

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recommended to apply approx. 4 kg N ha-1 less as a significant amount of nitrogen still

remained in the soil in spring due to a very dry autumn and winter. A wet autumn in 2019

made the establishment of winter cereals difficult. This resulted in a decrease in the 2020

winter cereal area compared to 2019.

TABLE 4.2 Development in the use of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser and of nitrogen in

animal manure as reported by the farmers in the annual fertiliser accounts for the

period 2005-2022 (1,000 t N yr

-1

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Fertiliser

Animal

manure

191

227

181

218

202

236

205

230

209

226

198

224

203

223

198

220

199

215

203

212

210

216

242

219

237

218

224

223

219

230

216

200

216

196

224

However, the use of N in inorganic fertiliser increased to 230,000 t N in 2020, partly due to a

recommended higher application rate to compensate for a low soil N content prior to the

growing season of 2020 in some parts of the country. In 2021 and 2022, the use of inorganic N

has decreased to 200,000 and 196,000 t N, respectively, partly due to the requirement to

increase the utilisation efficiency of nitrogen in manure.

4.3

Modelled nitrate leaching for farm types and geographical

areas and the impact of derogation farms at the national

level – 2022 data

Modelled nitrate leaching demonstrates the effect of crop distribution, nitrogen input, soil type

and water percolation through the soil. This section includes a presentation of these

parameters. Regarding crop distribution and nitrogen input, the analyses are based on the

national datasets from the basic payment register and the fertiliser accounts. However, before

the data can be used for this purpose, a detailed compilation of multiple datasets must be

made (Rolighed, 2023). The basic payment register contains information on crops at field

level, and the fertiliser accounts contain information on the use of nitrogen (inorganic fertiliser

and organic manure) at farm level. The datasets are linked by means of the common farm

identity number or a common farm address, and the reported amounts of fertiliser and manure

from the individual accounts are distributed on the fields of each farm according to the crop

nitrogen standards. Hereby, we obtain a dataset with coherent data on crops and nitrogen

application at field level. Data on catch crops and grass-ley are derived from field maps for

2022 as well as the previous and the following year.

The field maps are geographically mapped, implying that each field can be linked to soil maps

and to the meteorological grid. Having established the soil type for each field, the standard

harvest yield may be estimated. Furthermore, nitrogen fixation is included using standard

values for each crop. This final dataset now contains all information necessary for

geographically distributed computation of crop coverage and field nitrogen balances and for

modelling nitrate leaching.

Farm type

The data are divided into three main groups of farm type – arable farms, pig farms and cattle

farms. A pig farm is defined as a farm where more than 2/3 of the used organic N including

manure originate from pigs, and a cattle farm is defined as a farm where at least 2/3 of the

used organic N including manure originate from cattle. An arable farm is a farm with a

production of organic fertiliser including manure of less than 20 kg N ha-1. The farm may

import animal manure, which will appear in the fertiliser account and is therefore included in

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this analysis. Other farm types are not included in this analysis. The area occupied by organic

farms constitutes about 310,000 ha in 2022 (Landbrugsstyrelsen, 2022).

Figure 4.2 shows that arable farms and pig farms grew cereals, particularly winter wheat, on

most of the agricultural area (56 and 71%) in 2022. Other major cash crops were oilseed rape,

peas, root crops (potatoes and sugar beet) and grass for seeds (22-26%). Cereal silage, grass

and maize constituted a lesser part of the area (5-15%). Catch crops were grown on 18-23%

and newly established grass-ley on 1-2% of the agricultural area on arable and pig farms as

an autumn-winter plant cover.

FIGURE 4.2 Crop distribution for three main farm types in 2022. Combined dataset from

the single payment register and the fertiliser status accounts.

Cattle farms have a different crop rotation. Cereals and other cash crops were grown on 33%

of the area, whereas cereal silage, grass and maize were grown on 56% of the area. In

addition, grass-ley was found on 8% and catch crops on 20 % of the area.

On arable farms, an average amount of about 56 kg N ha-1 from animal manure was applied.

For pig and cattle farms, the amounts were, respectively, 107 kg N ha-1 and 132 kg N ha-1

(Table 4.3).

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The use of inorganic fertilisers decreased with increasing application of animal manure. Total

inputs of nitrogen from inorganic fertiliser, manure, other organic sources, N fixation and

atmospheric deposition amounted to 181, 205 and 243 kg N ha-1 for arable farms, pig farms

and cattle farms, respectively. N balances, calculated as the difference between the total input

of nitrogen and removal by harvested crops, were 75, 96 and 97 kg N ha-1 for arable farms,

pig farms and cattle farms, respectively. Modelled nitrate leaching was lower from arable farms

(on average 46 kg N ha-1) than from animal husbandry farms (49 kg N ha-1 from pig farms

and 62 kg N ha-1 from cattle farms). N leaching was, on average, 13 kg N ha-1 higher for

cattle farms compared to pig farms.

TABLE 4.3 N inputs, N balances, nitrate leaching and nitrate concentration at the bottom

of the root zone for three main farm types in 2022 based on model calculations.

Combined dataset. Organic farms were not included in the analysis.

N balance

Inorganic

fertiliser

Animal Other

manure org. N

N-

fix.

N-

depos.

Seeds

Total Harvest

input

balance

Root zone water

Perco.

Nitrate

leaching

conc.

(kg N ha

-1

)

(mm a

-1

)

(kg N ha

-1

) (mg l

-1

)

Arable

107

132

5.5

1.8

8.0

5.2

22.5

1.8

2.0

1.5

181

205

243

105

108

146

355

394

426

Pigs

Cattle

On arable farms, the modelled nitrate leaching amounted to 61% of the N balance, whereas

the value was 51% calculated for pig farms and 64% for cattle farms.

Water percolation through the soil is considerably higher on cattle farms than on arable and

pig farms. However, this is not due to the differences in farm type but the fact that the cattle

farms are located mainly in the western part of the country with more sandy soil and higher

rainfall and a consequently higher percolation. The higher percolation may contribute to an

increased nitrate leaching and a dilution of the nitrate concentration in the soil water. Thus, the

modelled average nitrate concentrations in soil water were 58 and 56 mg NO3 l-1 on arable

and pig farms, respectively, and 65 mg NO3 l-1 on cattle farms for the year 2022.

Geographical areas

Farm types are not evenly distributed throughout the country because of variations in farming

conditions. For the following analysis, Denmark has therefore been divided into five farming

regions

(Figure 4.3).

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FIGURE 4.3 Farming regions in Denmark used in the analysis and the location of the six

monitored agricultural catchments.

Table 4.4 shows that Zealand is dominated by arable farming, whereas arable farming and pig

production dominate Eastern (E) Jutland and Funen. Finally, North (N), North-West (NW) and

West (W) Jutland have the highest density of cattle farming. Thus, arable and pig farms are

located mainly in the eastern part of Denmark on loamy soils and with low rainfall, whereas

cattle farms are located mainly in the northern and western parts of Denmark on sandy soils

and with higher rainfall, the rainfall increasing from north to south.

TABLE 4.4 Distribution of farm types and soil types in Denmark divided into five main

geographical areas – 2022.

Organic

Arable

Pig

Cattle

Other

Sand

Loam

soils

% of agricultural area

Zealand

Jutland E +

Funen

Jutland N

Jutland NW

Jutland W

% of agricultural area

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FIGURE 4.4 Crop distribution for five farming regions in Denmark in 2022. Combined

dataset from the single payment register and the fertiliser accounts.

The crop distribution within the five farming regions of Denmark follows the same pattern as for

farm types, i.e. mainly cereals and other cash crops on the islands and in Eastern Jutland and

cereals and fodder crops in West and North Jutland (Figure

4.4).

The input of nitrogen with animal manure, the total nitrogen input and the field nitrogen

balances are lowest on Zealand, higher in E Jutland and on Funen and highest in W, NW and

N Jutland (Table

4.5).

In the latter three areas, the average nitrogen input varied between 202

and 221 kg N ha-1. The average modelled nitrate leaching generally increased from east to

west due to increases in nitrogen input and percolation. Within the three western and northern

parts of Jutland, the nitrate leaching increased from northern to southern Jutland, mainly due

to increased water percolation through the root zone. Higher water percolation led to dilution of

the nitrate concentrations of the soil water, resulting in an average nitrate concentration in soil

water of 58, 56, 66, 55 and 59 mg NO3 l-1 on Zealand, Funen + E and N Jutland, and NW and

W Jutland, respectively.

TABLE 4.5 N inputs and N balances, nitrate leaching and nitrate concentration at the

bottom of the root zone (1 m) calculated for five geographical areas in Denmark in 2022.

Combined dataset from the single payment register and the fertiliser accounts. Organic

farms were not included in the analysis.

N balance

Inorganic Animal

fertiliser manure

Other

org. N

N .fix

N-depos. Seeds

Total

input

Root zone water

Percol.

balance

Nitrate

leaching

(kg N

-1

)

conc.

Harvest

(kg N ha

-1

)

(mm a

-1

)

(mg l

-1

)

Zealand

115

4.3

8.1

1.6

177

109

248

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Jutland

E+

Funen

Jutland

3.3

9.8

1.7

194

110

344

102

114

116

2.7

0.9

5.4

15.1

13.4

14.3

1.6

1.7

1.9

202

208

221

115

118

128

370

452

533

Derogation farms

Derogation farms are mainly located in N, NW and W Jutland where cattle farming is

dominant. The effect of the derogation was evaluated for these three geographical areas. The

cattle farms were grouped into four livestock density groups depending on the application of

organic N including manure: 0-100, 100-140, 140-170 kg N ha-1 and derogation farms with the

use of organic N including manure of 170-230 kg N ha-1.

There is a trend indicating a decrease in areas with cereals and an increase in the areas with

catch crops with increasing livestock density. In addition, the area with fodder crops including

maize increases with increasing livestock density. The area with roughage (cereal silage,

rotation grass and permanent grass) amounted to 37, 32 and 36% for the three groups, 0-100,

100-140, 140-170 use of organic N including manure ha-1, respectively, whereas derogation

farms grew roughage on 49% of the area in average. The area with grass-ley or catch crops

amounted to 22, 30 and 37% for the three groups, 0-100, 100-140, 140-170 use of organic N

including manure ha-1, respectively, whereas grass-ley or catch crops on derogation farms

grew catch crops or grass-ley on 39% of the area in average.

The effect of derogation on nitrate leaching was evaluated separately for the three

geographical areas. The nitrogen input as well as the field nitrogen balances increased with

increasing livestock density (Table

4.6).

Modelled nitrate leaching is generally a combined

effect of two opposing mechanisms – an increase in leaching due to increased nitrogen input

and a decrease in leaching due to an increased area with roughage and catch crops.

Table

4.6

shows that the modelled nitrate leaching generally increased with increasing livestock

density and hence with increasing nitrogen input. Thus, differences occurred in the modelled

annual nitrogen leaching of 8, 12 and 14 kg N ha-1, respectively, between derogation farms

and farms using 140-170 kg N ha-1 of N in manure and other organic fertilisers in the three

Jutland regions N, NW and W, respectively. Modelled nitrate concentrations in the soil water

leaving the root zone were 11 mg NO3 l-1 higher for derogation farms than for cattle farms

using 140-170 kg N ha-1 of N in manure and other organic fertilisers for both Jutland N, NW

and W.

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FIGURE 4.5 Average crop distribution for four groups of livestock density in N, NW and

W Jutland in 2022. Combined dataset from the single payment register and the fertiliser

accounts. Organic farms were not included in the analysis.

The use of legumes (clover, alfalfa, peas) in grass and cereal silage is shown in

Table 4.7.

The general trend is that derogation farms grow less legumes than non-derogation farms.

Thus, clover or alfalfa (max. 50% share) in rotation grass was used on 69% of the rotation

grass area for derogation farms and on 77-79% for non-derogation farms. For permanent

grass including legumes, the equivalent values were 24% for derogation farms and 27-43% for

non-derogation farms. Cereal silage with peas amounted to 23% of the silage area for

derogation farms and 10-22% for non-derogation farms.

TABLE 4.6 N inputs, N balances and nitrate leaching and nitrate concentration at the

bottom of the root zone calculated for four groups of livestock densities at cattle farms

and for three geographical areas in Jutland, Denmark, 2022. Combined dataset from the

single payment register and the fertiliser accounts. Organic farms were not included in

the analysis.

N balance

Annual

Total

use of Inorganic Animal Other N

Seeds

Harvest Balance

input

fertiliser manure org.N fix. depos.

organic N

kg N ha

-1

Jutland N

0-100

100-140

140-170

116

156

1.8

0.8

0.0

kg N ha

-1

1.1

1.4

1.3

162

217

263

108

126

152

112

Root zone water

Percol.

mm a

-1

351

377

Nitrate

conc

leaching

kg N ha

-1

mg l

-1

Region

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170-230

Jutland

0-100

100-140

140-170

170-230

Jutland

0-100

100-140

140-170

170-230

198

117

155

198

119

157

203

0.0

1.7

1.3

0.1

0.0

8.9

4.1

1.6

0.3

1.4

1.7

1.5

1.6

1.8

1.6

310

163

215

254

303

165

230

268

310

187

108

125

147

186

109

133

159

190

123

107

117

109

120

372

436

455

452

463

517

552

546

544

Table 4.7 Use of legumes in grass and cereal silage at cattle farms for derogation and

non-derogation farms 2022. Organic farms were not included in the analysis.

Use of organic N, including manure (kg N ha

-1

)

0-100

100-140

140-170

170-230

share of agricultural area (%)

Rotation grass

11.0

13.2

21.1

share of rotation grass (%)

No clover/alfalfa

< 50% clover/alfalfa

> 50% clover/alfalfa

32.7

share of agricultural area (%)

Permanent grass

16.2

11.1

7.5

share of permanent grass (%)

No clover/alfalfa

< 50% clover/alfalfa

> 50% clover/alfalfa

share of agricultural area (%)

Cereal silage

1.4

2.5

4.5

share of cereal silage (%)

No legumes

8.2

5.8

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Use of organic N, including manure (kg N ha

-1

)

0-100

< 50% legumes

100% legumes

100-140

140-170

170-230

4.4

Development in modelled nitrate leaching in the Agricultural

Catchment Monitoring Programme 1990-2022

This section deals with the general development in nitrate leaching from 1990/91 to 2021/2022

for measured nitrated concentrations in soil and ground water and for the modelled nitrate

leaching for tree loamy and two sandy agricultural-dominated catchments. Information on

agricultural practises is derived from the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring Programme. This

programme includes six small agricultural catchments situated in various parts of the country

in order to cover the variation in soil type and rainfall and hence in agricultural practises

(Figure

4.3).

The farmers are interviewed every year about livestock, crops and fertilisation

and cultivation practises.

Modelled nitrate leaching presented for these five catchments was in the former derogation

reports modelled using the NLES3 and NLES4-models. The model was updated and

recalibrated to a new NLES5-model using a larger dataset in 2020 (Børgesen et al., 2020,

2022).

Nitrate leaching for the agricultural catchments in the present report is modelled with the

NLES5 model. The modelling results are therefore not directly comparable to the results in the

former reports.

The modelling has been conducted for all fields in the catchments based on the information

from farmers on agricultural practises and standard percolation values that are calculated on

the basis of the climate for 1990-2010.

In 2022, 121 farmers participated in the investigation. Of all the investigated farms, 16 were

cattle farms. Two of the cattle farms were registered as derogation farms. These derogation

farms covered 6% of the total area in the Agricultural Monitoring Catchments in 2022. In

addition to the cattle farms registered as derogation farms, four farms without cattle production

were registered as connected to a cattle derogation farm. This means that these farms also

have permit to apply more than 170 kg N/ha organic fertiliser if they comply with certain terms

and conditions. Only two of these farms have actually exploited this permit. These two

connected derogation farms also covered additional 6% of the total area in the Agricultural

Monitoring Catchments.

The modelled nitrate leaching from the agricultural area in the catchments was calculated

using collected data for crops and fertilization for the period 1990 to 2022 (representing the

hydrological years 1990/91 to 2022/23). The modelled leaching is shown in

Figure 4.6

as an

average for sandy and loamy catchments, respectively.

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FIGURE 4.6 Simulation of the nitrate leaching using the NLES5 model in a standard

climate for the fields of tree loamy and two sandy catchments within the Agricultural

Catchment Monitoring Programme 1990/91-2022/23.

With the present model calculation with NLES5, a decrease in the modelled nitrate leaching of

43 % has been achieved for the entire period 1991/92 to 2022/23, with each LOOP catchment

weighing 1/5. In this way, the average corresponds to clay soil in Denmark covering 60% and

sandy soil 40%. For the period 1991/92 to 2003/04, the decrease in modelled nitrate leaching

amounts to 37%. With model calculation of nitrate leaching with NLES3 and NLES4, the

corresponding decrease was approx. 43% (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., 2021). The model

calculation in LOOP only has data from 1991, while it is expected that nitrate leaching was

also reduced before this time. At the final evaluation of Water Environment Plan II in 2003, it

was calculated that nitrogen leaching at national level had been reduced by 48% from 1985 to

2003 (Grant & Waagepetersen, 2003) with a reduction in leaching from 1985 to 1989

estimated to 12 percentage points.

For the loamy catchments, modelled annual nitrate leaching was relatively stable around 40 kg

N ha-1 during the period 2003-2014 decreasing to a level below 40 kg N ha-1 in the period

2015-2022. For the sandy catchments, the modelled annual nitrate leaching was relatively

stable around 67-68 kg N ha-1 during the period 2003-2022.

The purpose of the root zone modelling is to show the effects of measures introduced to

mitigate nutrient losses from agriculture. The modelling is therefore carried out for climate

normalised growth conditions, i.e. averaging the model output for a 20-year period: The model

is run for each year in the 20-year period and model outputs are then averaged for the period.

The climatic data used cover the period 1990-2010. Actual measurements of nitrate leaching

will show higher annual variations than the climatic average of the modelled values as the

measurements depend on the actual climate. The period 1990-2010 covers a period where the

Danish precipitation data were measured using the same method. From 2011, there was a

change in both the measurement method and the number of stations available, which may

influence the modelled water balance, and thereby influence the modelled nitrate leaching.

4.5

Measurements of nitrate in water leaving the root zone and

in upper oxic groundwater

In five of the six Agricultural Monitoring Catchments, soil water samples are collected regularly

at 30 sites. One of the sites is covered by forest and is therefore not included in the data on

nitrate concentrations measured in agricultural areas. Measurements were ceased on a sandy

site in 2011 and on a loamy soil in 2020 as the farmers did not want to participate in the

monitoring. Two sites on a loamy catchment are located very close to the edge of the field,

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and tractor transport in and out of the fields results in high damage to crops, possible uneven

fertiliser application and very high values of measured nitrate leaching in some of the

monitored years. Out of the remaining 26 sites on agricultural areas, 13 are located on loamy

soils and 13 on sandy soils, and the data on these are considered valid for use in the trend

analysis of the loamy and sandy catchments. The samples represent the root zone water

(approx. 1 m depth – 30 samples per year) and the upper oxic groundwater (1.5-5 m depth – 6

samples per year). To obtain an annual representative value for the nitrate leaching, the

measured nitrate concentration is multiplied by the percolation in the sampling period.

Samples are taken weekly in periods with percolation (autumn, winter and spring) and monthly

in summertime when percolation is scarce or zero. Percolation values are modelled as

measurements of soil water content and flow in soil, covering soil variability at field level, are

difficult to perform (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., 2014). The annual flow-weighted nitrate

concentration is calculated by dividing the annual nitrate leaching by the annual percolation.

Since the publication of the annual derogation report for 2018, inconsistencies in the

precipitation time series have been detected (Svendsen & Jung-Madsen (Ed.) (2020);

Andersen (Ed.) (2021)). These inconsistencies affect the reported flow-weighted

concentrations as the precipitation time series are used for the calculation of percolation.

Specifically, it was found that the relation between precipitation and stream runoff in the

monitoring catchments was inconsistent before and after 2010, respectively. The precipitation

is measured at several rain gauge stations and distributed to cover 10x10 km2 grids by the

Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). The type of rain gauge station was changed from 2011,

and also the number of stations decreased significantly. This explains some of the

inconsistency related to measured discharge. DMI has delivered new precipitation data for the

period after 2010, but all inconsistency in the data has not yet been resolved. In order to

address the possible bias or inconsistency in the precipitation time series, we included an

uncertainty in the precipitation data, which is reflected in the calculated percolation and flow-

weighted nitrate concentration. This uncertainty was derived from an analysis of radar-

detected precipitation in five subplots within ten precipitation grids of 10x10 km2. The standard

error bars on the flow-weighted nitrate concentration in

Figure 4.7

and

Figure 4.11

represent

this uncertainty from variation in precipitation on field level but tabulated as an average

uncertainty from ten precipitation grids (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., in print).

The flow-weighted nitrate concentrations are shown as annual average values for loamy and

sandy soils, respectively, for the period 1990/91 to 2021/22 (Figure

4.7).

Generally, measured data on nitrate leaching from the root zone at only 26 sites cannot be

used directly for estimating the effect of a single variable as the input of fertiliser or manure

because of the high variability in actual fertiliser and manure practice and climate between the

monitoring fields and the measured years. Instead, the measured nitrate leaching data from

the 26 fields included in the agricultural monitoring catchments, together with leaching data

from other agricultural monitoring programmes, were used for development of the nitrate

leaching model, N-LES5, which was subsequently used for calculating the leaching from all

the fields in the catchments accounting for agricultural practises.

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FIGURE 4.7 Annual flow-weighted nitrate concentrations measured in root zone water (1

m below ground level) and annual average nitrate concentrations measured in upper

oxic groundwater (1.5-5 m below ground level), in the Agricultural Catchment

Monitoring Programme 1990/91 to 2021/22. Error bars on the root zone data indicate

variation in percolation as precipitation varied on local scale within a DMI 10 x 10 km

precipitation grid. Further details om the variation in data, i.e. standard deviations on

measured groundwater concentrations, are presented in the annual report for the

Agricultural Monitoring Programme (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., in print).

General trend for nitrate concentrations in water leaving the root zone

There is strong inter-annual variation in the measured nitrate concentrations due to differences

in rainfall and temperature besides the choice of crop rotation, management and application of

fertilisers. Therefore, a long time series and a large number of measuring points are needed to

detect any statistically significant trend. Such data series are available from the Danish

Monitoring Programme. A statistical trend analysis – a Mann-Kendall test, incorporating annual

variations in the mean annual flow-weighted nitrate concentrations for water leaving the root

zone – showed that concentrations decreased significantly by 1.2 and 2.6 mg NO3 l-1 a-1 for

the measured sites on loamy and sandy soils, respectively, and for the 26-year monitoring

period from 1990/91 to 2015/16. The statistical trend analysis has not yet been performed with

inclusion of the period after implementation of the Food and Agricultural Agreement in

December 2015. The reason is that the large annual variations means that a longer period

with data after the change of regulation is required to perform a statistically sound trend

analysis.

In the loamy catchments, the measured nitrate concentrations in root zone water decreased

from 61-155 mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period 1990/91-1994/95 to 37-66 mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-

year period 2011/12-2015/16. In the latest 5-year period 2017/18-2021/22 the concentrations

have varied from 50 to 116 mg NO3 l-1. The high nitrate concentrations are seen in years with

low percolation– as observed on loamy soils in 2004/05, 2010/11, in 2016/17, in 2018/19 and

in 2020/21. In sandy catchments, the nitrate concentration decreased from 73-192 mg NO3 l-1

in the 5-year period 1990/91-1994/95 to 54-73 mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period 2011/12-

2015/16. In the latest 5-year period 2017/18-2021/22 the concentrations have varied from 61

to 113 mg NO3 l-1 (Figure

4.7).

High nitrate concentrations were measured in the hydrological

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year 2018/19 after the dry growing season in 2018 with drought and low yield as well as low

percolation in the winter period. In contrast, low nitrate concentrations were measured in

2019/20 due very high percolation diluting the nitrate leaving the root zone.

After 2003/04 (Action Plan III + Green Growth), no statistically significant change in measured

nitrate concentrations in soil water leaving the root zone has been recorded. However, before

2011/12, high concentrations were temporarily observed for sandy soils. This is most likely

due to growth of crops with high leaching potential on these fields, such as turnover of

grassland followed by cereals with no catch crops the following years, growing of maize and

winter oilseed rape etc.

It should be noted that the measurements of nitrate leaching originate from a small number of

sampling stations (26 stations). Furthermore, the measurements are affected by high crop

yields, in particular in 2009, and effects of crop rotation, especially of grass in rotation. These

conditions induce higher inter-annual variations than seen in the average modelled nitrate

leaching, which covers a larger area including approx. 121 farms.

In the upper oxic groundwater (1.5-5.0 m below ground level), nitrate concentrations were

lower than in the root zone water especially on loamy catchments, indicating nitrate reduction

in the aquifer between the bottom of the root zone and the uppermost groundwater (Figure

4.7).

In loamy catchments, the measured annual mean of nitrate concentrations in the upper oxic

groundwater decreased from 40-47 mg (±22-27) NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period 1990/91-1994/95

to 33-39 (±17-28) mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period 2017/18-2021/21. In sandy catchments, the

nitrate concentration decreased from 87-112 (±27-65) mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period

1990/91-1994/95 to 54-83 (±24-46) mg NO3 l-1 in the 5-year period 2017/18-2021/22. This

large variation in the nitrate content of upper oxic groundwater is also seen in the latest year.

In 2022, oxic upper groundwater in the sandy and loamy catchments, respectively had more

than 50 mg/l on average in approx. 70% (14 out of 20) and approx. 36% (8 out of 22) of the

monitoring points.

Nitrate concentrations in water leaving the root zone from cattle farms with average

manure N applications below and above 170 kg N ha

-1

during the 10-year period 2011-

2020

Five of the monitoring sites received an average between 130 and 170 kg organic manure

N ha-1 in the recent 10 years(2012/13 -2021/22), and six sites received an average of more

than 170 kg organic manure N ha-1 In the same period. Measurements of nitrate in water

leaving the root zone are shown annually for each site for the recent 20 year period 2001/02 to

2021/22 (Figure

4.8A

and

B).

At two of the sites, station “st 604” and “st 202”, the manure input changed from a high annual

input (>170 kg N ha-1) in the period 2001-2011 to a lower input (<170 kg N ha-1) in the

following years (Figure

4.8.A).

In the period with an annual average manure application of

more than 170 kg N ha-1, nitrate concentrations were very high at “st 604” compared to the

following period. At “st 202” the nitrate concentrations varied at a lower level than “st 604” in

the period where the annual average manure application was more than 170 kg N ha-1,

(2001/02 to 2011/12) and showed increased concentrations in the period where the annual

average manure application was less than 170 kg N ha-1 (2012/13 to 2021/22).

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At two other sites, station “st 201” and “st 206”, the manure input changed from a low annual

input (<170 kg N ha-1) in the period 2001-2012 to a higher input (>170 kg N ha-1) in the

following years (Figure

4.8.B).

In the period with an annual average manure application of

less than 170 kg N ha-1, nitrate concentrations were very low at “st 206” compared to the

following period. At “st 201” the nitrate concentrations did not show a general increase in the

period where the annual average manure application was more than 170 kg N ha-1, (2001/02-

2011/12).

The average flow-weighted nitrate concentrations in root zone water for the six specific sites

with an average manure application within 170-230 kg N ha-1 during the last 10-year period

(2012/13-2021/22) varied between 54 and 128 mg NO3 l-1 (during the same period (Figure

4.8D).

The average flow-weighted nitrate concentrations in root zone water at five specific sites with

an average manure application within 130-170 kg N ha-1 varied between 39 and 110 mg NO3

l-1 for the recent ten hydrological years (2012/132021/22) (Figure

4.8C).

Thus, there was no

clear difference in flow-weighted nitrate concentration between monitored fields with

application of 130-170 kg N ha-1 and 170-230 kg N ha-1 in manures.

FIGURE 4.8 Measured flow-weighted nitrate concentrations in root zone water (1 m

depth) with average application during the last ten years of 130-170 N ha

-1

(A) and more

than 170 kg N ha

-1

in manure and other organic fertilisers (B) at the sites (average

application of organic manure N is shown in brackets). Annual averages for the

measured stations, average application of 130-170 kg ha

-1

in manure and other organic fertilisers (D). All data from the period 2001/02 to

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2021/22 are shown. The annual variation in application of organic fertiliser on the

individual fields is large because the amount depends on the type of crop grown in the

field.

Annual variations in measured concentrations at the individual monitoring stations were

expected, partly due to crop rotation and variations in yield and meteorological conditions.

Both the sites that annually received an average of 130-170 kg N in manure ha-1 in the period

2012/13-2021/22 and the sites that received an average >170 kg N in manure ha-1 in the

period had high average nitrate concentrations (>100 mg/l) in some of the years (Figure

4.8).

High nitrate concentrations are most likely a result of crop rotation, especially turnover of

grass-clover in rotation, followed by cereals without catch crops or high N input to maize, and

they cannot be linked to the level of manure input alone.

Phosphorus concentrations in the water leaving the root zone are shown in

Figure 4.9.

Generally, the concentrations varied between 0.005 and 0.050 mg PO4-P l-1, irrespective of

the use of organic manure. In all the sites, P concentrations were much more variable in the

first part of the period (until 2011/12) and in three fields (“st 603”, “st 607” and “st 608”) P

concentrations exceeded 0.05 mg PO4-P l-1 in some years. The soil texture in these fields is

coarse sand, and they are located in an area with high rainfall. Since 2011/12, the max. annual

P concentrations at all monitored stations have been below 0.020 PO4-P l-1.

FIGURE 4.9 Measured phosphorus concentrations as dissolved orthophosphate (PO

-P)

at soil water stations (1 m depth) with average application of 130-170 (A) and more than

170 kg organic manure N ha

-1

(B) at the sites in the recent 10 years (average application

of organic manure N is shown in brackets). All data for the period 2001/02 to 2021/22 are

shown.

4.6

The nitrogen flow to surface water in agricultural

catchments

This chapter gives an overview of the nitrogen pathways in the hydrological cycle and

describes the trends for nitrate in water for the period 1990 to 2022. Continued monitoring

within the framework of the Agricultural Catchment Programme and the Stream Programme

will provide indicators for the future development.

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When percolating water leaves the root zone, it can conceptually be partitioned into a

component that discharges directly to surface water and a component that discharges to

groundwater from where it will eventually – often some years later – discharge into the

streams or coastal areas. In Denmark, the pathways for water and nutrients in agricultural

catchments are analysed in the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring Programme. Nitrate

concentrations are measured in soil water, water from tile drains, upper groundwater and

surface water from three loamy catchments and two sandy catchments.

The monitoring programme does not allow a specific evaluation of the effect of derogation

farms on the nitrate transport in the streams since measurements at the catchment outlet

integrate the effects of all activities in the catchment. However, the monitoring programme will

provide an overview of the general trend for surface water, including the effect of any

derogation farms in the catchment.

The hydrological pathways

An analysis of the water flow in the streams of the five agricultural catchments has shown that

water flow can be conceptually divided into three components – rapid, intermediate and slow

response to precipitation (Table 4.8) (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., 2021). These components may

be regarded as flow from the upper soil layers (including tile drainage), from the upper oxic

groundwater and from deep reduced groundwater.

TABLE 4.8 Partitioning of water flow in streams into three components – rapid,

intermediate and slow responding water. The analysis included three loamy

catchments and two sandy catchments (1989/90-2002/03).

Flow response

Rapid

Loamy catchments

Sandy catchments

41%

20%

Intermediate

16%

23%

Slow

43%

57%

FIGURE 4.10 Measured means of nitrate concentrations in the hydrological cycle in

three loamy catchments and two sandy catchments included in the Agricultural

Catchment Monitoring Programme. Values in streams, groundwater and root zone are

shown as means, and data on min and max for the individual catchments are given in

brackets. The values are calculated as an annual mean for the period 2017/18 to

2021/22.

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In loamy catchments, the flow path is characterised by relatively rapidly responding water

(from upper soil layers), whereas there is a larger proportion of slowly responding water (from

deeper groundwater) in sandy catchments (Figure 4.10) (Blicher-Mathiesen et al., in print).

Figure 4.11 illustrates measurements of nitrate concentrations (mg NO3 l-1) in soil root

zone water, upper oxic groundwater (1.5-5 m below ground level) and in streams. When

water percolates from the root zone to the upper groundwater, denitrification processes

may take place depending on the redox conditions and reduction potentials. Thus,

nitrate concentrations in the upper groundwater are sometimes lower than in the root

zone water especially in the loamy catchments. When the water passes through the

deeper aquifers, it can also be denitrified in anoxic nitrate reducing zones.

FIGURE 4.11 Nitrate concentrations measured in root zone water, upper groundwater

and in streams for three loamy catchments and two sandy catchments according to the

Agricultural Catchment Monitoring Programme, 1990/91-2021/22.

As streams in sandy catchments are dominated by discharge of deeper groundwater flow, the

groundwater discharging to the streams has often been exposed to reduction processes.

Thus, nitrate concentrations in the stream water are relatively low. In loamy catchments, the

discharging water has mainly passed through the upper soil layers and through the drainage

system where there is less nitrate reduction. Hence, nitrate concentrations in the streams on

loamy soils are higher than in sandy catchments.

In this context, it should be noted that cattle farms, i.e. the derogations farms, are mainly

located in the western and northern parts of Jutland that are characterised by sandy soils and

deep groundwater flow, leading to relatively high nitrate removal and lower nitrogen

concentrations in the streams but relative high nitrate concentrations in the upper oxic

groundwater.

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Trends in nitrate concentrations in the hydrological cycle

The development in nitrate concentrations in root zone water, upper oxic groundwater and

stream water is shown in

Figure 4.11.

Statistical analyses incorporating the annual variations

showed that the nitrate concentration in water leaving the root zone decreased significantly by

1.2 and 2.6 mg NO3 l-1 a-1 at the measured sites on loamy and sandy soils, respectively, for

the 26-year monitoring period from 1990/91 to 2015/16. However, as mentioned before, the

root zone concentrations have varied from 50 to 116 mg NO3 l- in the latest 5-year period

2017/18-2021/22 on loamy soils and between 61 to 113 mg NO3 l-1 in the corresponding five

years, on sandy soils (see section 4.5). In the Stream Monitoring Programme, the

development is analysed for a larger number of streams. This programme reported that during

the period 1989-2022, in 51 agriculturally dominated catchments representing both loamy and

sandy soils, there was an average reduction of 39% (±4%) of the total nitrogen transport

(Thodsen et al., in print).

4.7

References

Abrahamsen, P., & S. Hansen. (2000). Daisy: An open soil-crop-atmosphere system model.

Environ. Model. Softw. 15(3): 313–330. doi: 10.1016/S1364- 8152(00)00003-7

Andersen R.C. (Ed.). (2021). Undersøgelser af DMI’s nedbørsdata til anvendelse for

hydrologiske formål. Afrapportering til miljøministeriet. Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut.

https://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/Rapporter/2021/Undersoegelser_af_DMI_s_nedboersdata_til_a

nvendelse_for_hydrologiske_formaal.pdf

Blicher-Mathiesen, G., Thorsen, M. Petersen, R.J., Rolighed, J., Andersen, H.E., Larsen, S.E.,

Jensen, P.G., Wienke, J., Hansen, B. & Thorling, L. In print. Landovervågningsoplande 2022.

NOVANA. Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt center for Miljø og Energi, 279s.

Blicher-Mathiesen, G., Houlborg, T., Petersen, R.J., Rolighed, J., Andersen, H.E., Jensen,

P.G., Wienke, J., Hansen, B. & Thorling, L. (2021). Landovervågningsoplande 2020.

NOVANA. Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 260 s. -

Videnskabelig rapport nr. 472. http://dce2.au.dk/pub/SR472.pdf

Blicher-Mathiesen, G., Andersen, H.E. & Larsen, S.E. (2014). Nitrogen field balances and

suction cup-measured N leaching in Danish catchments. Agriculture, Ecosystems and

Environment 196, 69-75.

Børgesen, C.D., Sørensen P., Blicher-Mathiesen G., Kristensen, K.M., Pullens J. W., Zhao. J.

& Olesen J.E. (2020). NLES5 - An empirical model for estimating nitrate leaching from the

root zone of agricultural land. DCA - Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture. 116 p. - DCA

report No. 163. https://dcapub.au.dk/djfpublikation/djfpdf/DCArapport163.pdf

Børgesen C.D., Pullens J. W., Zhao. J., Sørensen P., Blicher-Mathiesen G. & Olesen J.E.

(2022). NLES5 - An empirical model for estimating nitrate leaching from the root zone of

agricultural land. European Journal of Agronomy 134, 126465.

Grant, R. & Waagepetersen, J. (2003). Vandmiljøplan II – slutevaluering. Faglig udredning fra

Danmarks Miljøundersøgelser og Danmarks JordbrugsForskning. 32 s.

https://www2.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Publikationer/3_Ovrige/rapporter/VMPII/VMPII_Slutevaluerin

g.pdf

Grant, R., Blicher-Mathiesen, G., Pedersen, M.L., Jensen, P.G., Pedersen, M. & Rasmussen,

P. (2003). Landovervågningsoplande 2002. NOVA 2003. Danmarks Miljøundersøgelser. 132

s. - Faglig rapport fra DMU nr. 468.

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Grant, R., Nielsen, K. & Waagepetersen, J. (2006) Reducing nitrogen loading of inland and

marine waters – evaluation of Danish policy measures to reduce nitrogen loss from farmland.

Ambio 35, 117-123.

Kronvang, B., Andersen, H.E., Børgesen, C., Dalgaard, T., Larsen, S.E., Bøgestrand, J. &

Blicher-Mathiasen, G., (2008). Effects of policy measures implemented in Denmark on

nitrogen pollution of the aquatic environment. Environmental Science & Policy 11, 144-152.

Landbrugsstyrelsen (2022). Statistik over økologiske jordbrugsbedrifter 2022.

Landbrugsstyrelsen, Ministeriet for Fødevarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri.

https://lbst.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/NaturErhverv/Filer/Tvaergaaende/Oekologi/Statistik/Stati

stik_over_oekologisk_jordbrugsbedrifter_2022.pdf

Lov om ændring af lov om naturbeskyttelse. (2020, L nr 1057 af 30/06/2020).

https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2020/1057

Miljøministeriet. (2023). Vandområdeplanerne 2021-2027. 276 s.

https://mim.dk/media/235166/vandomraadeplanerne-2021-2027-5-7-2023.pdf

Rolighed, J. (2023). Oparbejdning af landbrugsregisterdata og beregning af

referenceudvaskning for nitrat med NLES5. Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for

Miljø og Energi, 34 s. - – Fagligt notat nr. 2023|62

Thodsen, H., Tornbjerg, H., Bøgestrand, J., Larsen, S.E., Ovesen, N.B., Blicher-Mathiesen,

G., Rolighed, J., Holm, H. & Kjeldgaard, A. (2021). Vandløb 2019 - Kemisk vandkvalitet og

stoftransport. NOVANA. Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 74 s.

- Videnskabelig rapport nr. 452

Thodsen, H., Kjær, C., Tornbjerg, H., Rolighed, C., Larsen, S.E., Ovesen, N.B., Blicher-

Mathiesen, G. In print. Vandløb 2022 - Kemisk vandkvalitet og stoftransport. NOVANA.

Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 84 s. - Videnskabelig rapport

nr. 526

SVANA (2016). Vandområdeplaner 2015-2021. Styrelsen for Vand og Naturforvaltning. Miljø-

og Fødevareministeriet.

https://mst.dk/natur-

vand/vandmiljoe/vandomraadeplaner/vandomraadeplaner-2015-2021/vandomraadeplaner-

2015-2021/

Svendsen, L.M. & Jung-Madsen, S. (Ed.) 2020. Homogenitetsbrud og potentielle fejl i

nedbørsdata. Eksempler på konsekvenser for myndighedsbetjeningen. Aarhus Universitet,

DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 28 s. Fagligt notat nr. 2020|51

https://dce.au.dk/fileadmin/dce.au.dk/Udgivelser/Notatet_2020/N2020_51.pdf

Wiberg-Larsen, P., Windolf, J., Bøgestrand, J., Larsen, S.E., Thodsen, H., Ovesen, N.B.,

Bjerring, R., Kronvang, B. & Kjeldgaard, A. (2015). Vandløb 2013. NOVANA. Aarhus

Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 50 s. - Videnskabelig rapport fra DCE

- Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi nr. 121 http://dce2.au.dk/pub/SR121.pdf

Windolf, J., Larsen, S.E., Thodsen, H., Bøgestrand, J., Ovesen, N. & Kronvang, B. (2011). A

distributed modelling system for simulation of monthly runoff and nitrogen sources, loads and

sinks for ungauged catchments in Denmark. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 13, 2645-

2658.

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5. Reinforced monitoring in

areas characterized by

sandy soils

This chapter is based on selected data from the National Monitoring Program of

Water and Nature (NOVANA), provided by the Danish Environmental Protection

Agency, and data on derogation farm location, provided by the Danish

Agricultural Agency.

5.1

Introduction

Prior to 2018, data on water quality in the derogation report was based on data from the

national agricultural catchment monitoring program. This program combines detailed

information on both agricultural practice and crop rotation as well as data on water quality in

root zone water, uppermost groundwater and small local streams. Monitoring takes place in

five agricultural catchments throughout the country, of which three are located in parts of

Denmark characterized by loamy soils and two in the western part, where sandy soils

predominate. The latest, relevant results from the program are reported in chapter 4 of this

report.

Due to the limited size of the area monitored within the national agricultural catchment

monitoring program, only very few derogation farms are located in the five catchments. The

majority of derogation farms are found in the western part of Denmark, especially in the

western part of middle and southern Jutland, as shown on the maps in chapter 2 of this report.

This part of Denmark is also characterized by pre- dominantly sandy soils.

The derogation decision from 2017 (2017/847/EU) introduced the requirement that water

quality should be reported using data from reinforced monitoring. The reinforced monitoring is

carried out on sandy soils and in an area that comprises fields belonging to at least 3% of all

derogation farms. The derogation decision from 2018 (2018/1928/EU) and the latest

derogation decision from 2020 (2020/1074/EU) specifies in Article 10 (2) that, in addition to the

monitoring obligations in prior derogation decisions,

"[...] Reinforced monitoring of water quality

shall be carried out in areas with sandy soils. In addition, nitrates concentrations in surface

and groundwater shall be monitored in at least 3 % of all holdings covered by an

authorisation."

5.2

Method

Selection of relevant monitoring stations

Besides the results from the national agricultural catchment monitoring program (see chapter

4), which previously has formed the basis for annual reporting according to the derogation

decision, Danish authorities also collect data through a number of other national monitoring

programs. As part of the “National Monitoring Program of Water and Nature” (NOVANA), data

from approximately 500 water quality stations in streams and rivers are collected several times

annually.

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The primary purpose is to determine nutrient loads to sensitive recipients, i.e., coastal waters

and lakes. Water samples from more than 1,000 groundwater-monitoring stations are

analysed once a year; according to the monitoring and reporting requirements of the Nitrates

Directive and the Water Framework Directive. One of the usual parameters that both

groundwater and surface water samples are analysed for is nitrate concentration.

Simultaneously, the Danish Agricultural Agency registers which fields belong to derogation

farms.

The approach is based on the identification of either surface water or groundwater monitoring

stations located in close proximity to a field belonging to a derogation farm. More precisely, the

GIS-analysis is based on the coordinates of the surface water or groundwater monitoring

station as well as the surrounding area within a fixed 15-metre radius. This circle allows for an

overlap between the position of the monitoring station and any fields in close proximity.

Only watercourse and groundwater monitoring stations located within 15 meters of a field

registered to a derogation farm are selected. To determine whether this criterion is met, the

latest registry data from the Danish Agricultural Agency is used.

If a groundwater monitoring well fulfils the location criterion but contains several monitoring

stations at different depth (“multi-filter wells”), only one of these stations is selected; typically,

the station that has the largest number of prior nitrate concentration samples.

Groundwater monitoring stations at a depth of 80 meters or more have been excluded from the

data set, as data from the national groundwater monitoring (“GRUMO”) program shows that

nitrate levels are no longer quantifiable (<1 mg/L) at these depths.

Only surface water monitoring stations that are part of the national program monitoring

“Transport of nutrients in streams” have been considered for the reinforced monitoring. A few

mobile stations used for lake monitoring that would have fulfilled the proximity criterion have

been excluded from the data set, as their locations typically change every year, making it

impossible to create time series. Monitoring stations that have been installed in watercourses

to monitor the outflow from constructed wetlands have also been excluded.

In all, this selection method has identified a total of 30 monitoring stations. 16 stations of these

(53 %) are groundwater monitoring stations, while 14 stations (47 %) are located in

watercourses (Figure

5.1).

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FIGURE 5.1 Map showing the locations of the 30 monitoring stations selected as the

reporting basis for the reinforced monitoring. The squares show the location of in total

16 groundwater monitoring stations at different depths – these may overlap due to the

scale of the map. The circles show the location of the 14 watercourse monitoring

stations. Grey shading indicates all fields belonging to Danish derogation farms.

The majority of derogation farms are located in the western part of Denmark, especially the

western, northern and southern parts of the peninsula of Jutland, also illustrated in chapter 2

of this report. These parts of the country are characterized by sandy soils, whereas loamier

soils dominate the more eastern parts of the country.

Consequently, the described approach of linking the locations of monitoring stations to fields

belonging to derogation farms results in a considerable enlargement of the data basis for

reporting of water quality in sandy areas.

The geological map in

Figure 5.2

below illustrates the soil substrates throughout Denmark.

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FIGURE 5.2 Geological map of Denmark showing the substrates that are the basis for

soil development. Modified from a map produced by GEUS. The legend is only available

in Danish, but the four main soil substrate types that can be categorized as “sand” have

been marked with an “S” in the legend.

Coverage of Danish derogation farms

The locations of the 30 monitoring stations have been linked to 40 fields, which in turn belong

to 30 different derogation farms. Out of the 30 farms, 14 are subject to the reinforced

monitoring due to the proximity of their fields to a watercourse monitoring station, while 17

farms are included owing to proximity to groundwater monitoring stations. One farm was

included due to proximity to both a watercourse and a groundwater monitoring station. The

total number of farms encompassed by the reinforced monitoring corresponds to 3.4 % of all

holdings that make use of the derogation.

5.3

Characterization of monitoring stations and data analysis

Groundwater

The selected groundwater monitoring stations are located at depths below the surface ranging

from 1.75 m to 72 m. The majority of the stations monitor water quality in comparatively

shallow groundwater, at an average depth of 24.26 m and a median depth of 18 m. Of the

selected groundwater monitoring stations, 29 % of the samples are of very shallow

groundwater from a depth of less than 10 m. 24 % are located from 10-20 meter below surface

and the rest 47 % of the stations are located from 20-80 meters.

Groundwater monitoring stations are expected to be sampled at least once per year. Historic

data since 2002 – the year Denmark obtained a derogation from the Nitrates Directive for the

first time – have been included to the extent that they are available. If groundwater has been

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sampled more than once per year, the average annual nitrate concentration has been

calculated for this station for each respective sampling year.

For the purpose of presenting the data in the results section below, the stations have been

grouped into three different categories, stations at a depth of less than 10 m below surface,

stations at 10 to almost 20 m depth and stations at 20 m depth or deeper. Annual average

nitrate concentrations have been calculated for each depth category for each year since 2002,

based on the actual number of stations sampled in the respective year.

Surface water

The monitored watercourses vary considerably in size and flow rate. The widths of the

watercourses at the monitoring station vary from 2 m to 10.5 m. 7 out of the 14 stations are

located in small streams of less than 5 meters’ width.

Samples from watercourses are generally analysed for Nitrite- and Nitrate-Nitrogen

(N). Nitrite-N-concentrations are typically negligible, and under this assumption, nitrate

concentrations in the water samples could be calculated by multiplying the Nitrate-N

concentration by a factor of 4.4268. In this chapter, the surface water concentration is

generally given in Nitrite- and Nitrate-Nitrogen. Historic data since 2002 is included to the

extent that it is available. Only data from monitoring stations that have been sampled at least 9

times annually in the period before 2017 are displayed in the results. In 2022, each

watercourse monitoring station has been sampled 18 times annually.

For the purpose of presenting the data in the results section, stations have been grouped

based on the approximate width of the water course at the sampling station site into three

different categories, as also displayed in

Figure 5.1:

less than 5 m, 5 to 10 m and more than

10 m width. Average nitrate concentrations have been calculated for each category for each

year since 2002, based on the actual number of stations sampled in the respective year.

As a consequence of the political agreement on the Food and Agricultural Package from

December 2015, the number of water course monitoring stations has been significantly

increased. 8 out of the 14 water course stations selected for the reinforced monitoring were

established in 2016 as a consequence of the agreement, and now, it is decided to continue the

monitoring.

5.4

Results and Discussion

Groundwater

Figure 5.3

shows the nitrate concentration of each groundwater monitoring station selected for

reinforced monitoring, as well as the average nitrate concentrations per sampling year for the

period 2002 to 2022 for each of the depth categories. The quality limit value of 50 mg nitrate

per litre is also shown.

The data generally shows great variability in nitrate concentrations from one year to another in

water samples from individual monitoring stations. Especially in the shallowest groundwater

(Figure

5.3A),

absolute concentration changes of up to more than 80 mg nitrate per litre can

be observed from one sampling year to the other.

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FIGURE 5.3 Nitrate concentration of the individual groundwater monitoring stations

selected for the reinforced monitoring, as well as the average nitrate concentrations per

sampling year for the period 2002 to 2022 for each of the three depth categories of

groundwater stations: (A) stations at less than 10 m depth; (B) stations at 10-20 m depth

and (C) stations at 20 m depth and deeper below the surface. A red dashed line at 50 mg

nitrate per litre is inserted in each figure.

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No clear trend in the average nitrate concentration can be observed over time for any of the

three depth categories. Due to the limited number of stations and samples per year, the

annual average values are highly influenced by the variability in nitrate concentration in the

water sampled from some individual stations.

Table 5.1

shows the average nitrate concentration of all stations for each year in the period

2002 to 2022, irrespective of their depth and the number of stations sampled

(n) in the respective year that form the basis of this calculation. The annual average nitrate

concentration varies between 20.9 mg/L, as sampled in 2003 (n=11), and

41.9 mg/L in the groundwater samples from 2009 (n=13).

TABLE 5.1 Annual average nitrate concentration of all groundwater stations in

reinforced monitoring in the period 2002-2022 and number of stations sampled

Sampling year

Average nitrate

concentration [mg/L]

Number of sampled

stations (n)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

29.2

20.9

27.0

37.0

38.1

37.8

32.1

41.9

40.7

28.7

28.8

29.2

28.8

35.1

35.2

31.9

30.5

26.9

27.2

28.9

21.3

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When calculated across the entire period from 2002 to 2022, the (non-weighted) mean value

of the annual average concentrations is 31.3 mg/L. The 2022 average is lower than the mean

value for the whole 2002-2022 period. The decline in average concentration from 2021 to 2022

is due to changing stations in the reporting.

Surface water

Figure 5.4

shows the nitrite- and nitrate-nitrogen concentration of the individual watercourse

monitoring stations selected for reinforced monitoring, as well as the average nitrate

concentrations per sampling year for the period 2002 to 2022 for each of the width categories.

The quality limit value for groundwater of 50 mg nitrate per litre, which corresponds to

approximately 11.3 mg nitrate-N per litre, is also shown.

Figure 5.4: Nitrite- +nitrate-nitrogen (N) concentration of the individual surface water

monitoring stations selected for reinforced monitoring, as well as the average nitrate

concentrations per sampling year for the period 2002 to 2022 for each of the three width

categories (determined at sampling site): (A) less than 5 m wide; (B) 5 to 10 m wide and

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corresponding to approx. 50 mg nitrate per litre. The standard deviation in absolute

concentration are 1.81 mg/l.

At the level of the individual monitoring station, nitrite- + nitrate-N concentrations can vary

significantly from year to year mainly due to variation in amount and timing of precipitation.

Nevertheless, the year-to-year variations are not as pronounced as those seen in groundwater

samples.

For all watercourse categories it is, however, important to underline that the N transport is not

determined by the nitrogen concentration alone, but also by the water flow in the watercourse,

which can significantly vary due to the specific and local weather conditions of a given year. In

low flow rate situations, nitrogen levels may be relatively high while total N transport remains

unchanged, and vice versa. As smaller watercourses typically have a smaller catchment area

than rivers, variations in local weather conditions are expected to have a greater impact on the

nitrogen concentration in water sampled from small watercourses.

For all individual watercourse-monitoring stations, nitrate-N concentrations remain well below

the quality limit for groundwater and drinking water throughout the whole period from 2002 to

2022. Absolute concentrations tend to be higher in the smaller watercourses than in the larger

ones, which is likely to be a result of nitrate being removed through natural processes along

the course of the water. Overall, the annual average for each category has been steadily

decreasing over the last 10 years of the period shown.

Table 5.2

shows the annual average nitrite- and nitrate-N concentration in water sampled at

all water course stations – irrespective of their width – and the number of stations sampled in

the respective year (n).

Table 5.2 Annual average nitrite- + nitrate-N concentration in water sampled at all

stations selected for reinforced monitoring, as well as the number of stations sampled

in each year.

Sampling

year

Average nitrite- +nitrate-N

concentration [mg/L]

Number of sampled

stations (n)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

4.1

3.8

4.4

4.0

4.4

4.1

3.9

3.8

3.3

3.4

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2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

3.4

3.3

3.0

2.9

3.3

3.4

3.3

The annual average nitrite- + nitrate-N concentration has decreased from 4.4 mg/L in the early

years of the reported period (e.g. 2006, n=10) down to 3.3 mg/L in 2016 (n=11). Despite a

significant increase in number of monitoring stations included in the reinforced monitoring

since 2002 the average nitrite- + nitrate-nitrogen concentrations for the different water course

categories remains fairly constant. The average concentration in 2022 for all watercourse

stations was 3.3 mg/L.

General discussion

It is important to highlight that the reinforced monitoring does not provide data that can be

used to examine any potential effect on water quality that might be the result of the use of the

derogation. A range of other fluctuating factors influences nutrient concentrations in the

aquatic environment, and as such, it would not be possible to identify or isolate such an effect.

Because the reinforced monitoring method is based on linking the locations of monitoring

stations to fields belonging to derogation farms in a two-dimensional way: The approach does

not account for the actual catchment area and subsurface water paths for the respective

monitoring stations. Hence, it is only to a very limited degree possible to get a picture of the

effects of land use on surface water and groundwater quality. A clearer picture would require a

catchment-based approach, which takes into account that water quality in the recipient water

is affected by land use in the whole catchment area.

The present method does not include a reference group of monitoring stations that are not

located in proximity to fields belonging to derogation farms. However, by including the data

from this selected set of the surface water and groundwater monitoring stations, the data basis

for water quality in sandy areas has been considerably enlarged from the two sandy

catchments within the national agricultural catchment monitoring program (see chapter 4),

which formed the basis for reporting prior to 2018 and still provides comprehensive data on

land use at farm level.

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6. Indicator and monitoring

system for application of

phosphorus in Denmark

the Danish Environmental Protection Agency,

6.1

Introduction

In consultation with the European Commission, the Ministry of the Environment and Food

(since November 2020 the Ministry of Environment) has agreed that Denmark must monitor

the use of phosphorus (P) in organic fertiliser and commercial fertiliser, so that it is ensured

that the average use does not exceed the national phosphorus ceiling. The monitoring is

based on data from the fertiliser accounts, which is available approximately one year after a

planning period is completed, when the farmers submit their fertiliser accounts to the Danish

Agricultural Agency. The first planning period with limiting phosphorus use by specific ceilings

at farm level was 2017/2018.

As a supplement to monitoring, it has been agreed that an "indicator system" must be

established, where data from the NOVANA monitoring program in Agricultural Catchments

(LOOP) in combination with available data on livestock production and sales of fertiliser and

other phosphorus sources can provide an updated overview of the average amount of

phosphorus used in Danish agriculture.

These results from the P monitoring and indicator system, respectively, should be compared

with the phosphorus ceilings. In this connection, it was agreed, that the total amount of

phosphorus used should be divided by the total agricultural area in order to calculate the

average fertiliser rate per year per ha on agricultural land. No requirement has been set for the

first planning period 2017/2018, but in the planning period 2018/2019 the average use should

be below 34.7 kg P/ha, and in the planning period 2019/2020 the average use should be

below 34.1 kg P/ha. In the planning period 2020/2021 and planning period 2021/2022 the

average use must be below 33.2 kg P/ha. If the average use exceeds 33.2 kg P/ha, the

phosphorus ceilings must be lowered.

6.2

Results from the P monitoring system

The Danish Agricultural Agency compiled data from the fertiliser accounts with data from the

planning period 2021/2022. The compiled data has not been processed or checked thoroughly

for exorbitant values and other "noise", e.g. typos. If there are exorbitant values, it is estimated

that only extremely high values in a few fertiliser accounts can have an important influence on

the overall results, so the results represent a “worst case” scenario of phosphorus use.

Table 6.1 Compiled data from fertiliser accounts 2021/2022 (rounded numbers).

Produced P

Used P

(tons)

Poultry/fur

Finishers

2,300

10,200

(tons)

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Sows and piglets

Cattle (non-derogation)

Cattle (derogation)

Manure – Total

Waste and other P

Manure + waste

Chemical fertilisers

Used P – Total

8,300

11,400

6,700

39,000

41,300

3,500

44,800

11,000

55,800

Mio. ha

Agricultural area

Harmony area

The average national phosphorus ceiling in

2020/2021

Kg P/ha agricultural area

Kg P/ha harmony area

2,600

2,400

33.2

21.6

23.4

6.3

Results from P indicator system

The following table shows the phosphorus inputs as reported in the NOVANA report "Land

Surveillance Survival 2022" from 2024

. The table shows an increase as expected in the use

of phosphorous in 2017, due to the increase in the P-ceiling from 2016 to 2017. In the coming

years the P-ceiling will be decreased back to a lower level, so the increase in the use of

phosphorous is not expected to continue.

Table 6.2 The use of P-input in Danish agriculture in 2013-2022

Source: Blicher-Mathiesen et al. (2024): Landovervågningsoplande 2022, Institute for Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Bilag 1

Markbalancer for 1990-2022:

https://dce.au.dk/fileadmin/dce.au.dk/Udgivelser/Videnskabelige_rapporter_500-599/SR589.pdf

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2013

Use of P (1,000 tons)

in different inputs:

- Chemical fertiliser

- Livestock manure

- Seed

- Sludge

- Waste from industry

- Other organic

fertiliser

- Deposition

Total use of P

Agricultural area

(1,000 ha)

Kg P/ha in average

Kg P/ha (the average

national P-ceiling )

0.3

63.4

2,671

11.3

45.3

1.0

2.4

3.1

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

13.0

46.1

1.0

2.4

3.1

13.3

46.1

1.0

2.4

3.1

13.3

44.3

1.0

2.4

3.1

20.8

43.0

1.0

2.4

3.1

14.8

44.3

1.0

14.6

44.9

1.0

16.0

43.8

1.0

14.9

43.8

1.0

11.0

45.5

1.0

2.8

0.3

65.9

2,661

0.3

66.2

2,633

0.3

64.4

2,625

0.3

70.5

2,610

27.0

0.3

63.2

2,602

3.1

0.3

63.9

2,613

3.1

0.3

64.3

2,613

3.1

0.26

63.2

2,600

3.5

0.26

61.3

2,588

23.7

24.7

25.1

24.4

[32.2]

24.3

24.4

24.1

22.8

23.7

34.1

33.2

In the dialogue with the EU Commission, it was expected that the development in livestock

production should be monitored via data from the CHR register, since Denmark previously

prepared an annual status on the size of livestock production in various catchments. This

annual status is now done instead on the basis of the fertiliser accounts, which is why the best

data material on the development in livestock production is the annual status of the livestock

population, which is made by Statistics Denmark. Statistics Denmark's information on livestock

in 2017-2021 can be seen in

Table 6.3.

Table 6.3 The development in the livestock production according to Statistics Denmark

in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022

From 2018 onwards, amount of other organic waste, such as sludge and waste from industry, is derived

from the fertiliser accounts.

Agricultural area for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 has been updated after submission of the Derogation

Report 2019.

This figure indicates the average phosphorus protection level in 2016 expressed as a theoretical P-

ceiling, before the P-ceilings were introduced, and is included for comparison.

Data from Statistics Denmark: for cattle, pigs, poultry and mink: https://www.statistikbanken.dk/10472

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Number of

animals

2017

Number of

animals

2018

Number of

animals

2019

Number of

animals

2020

Number of

animals

2021

Number of

animals

2022

% change in

total number

of animals

2017-2022

Number of all

kinds of cattle

and dairy

cows on all

farms

Number of all

kinds of pigs

on all farms

1,545,417

1,540,446

1,491,433

1,498,713

1,488,421

1,471,383

-4.79

12,307,667

12,781,247

12,298,993

13,162,627

13,168,466

12,373,343

0.53

Number of all

kinds of

poultry on all

farms

21,483,698

19,973,164

23,059,881

22,132,858

21,891,757

23,057,926

7.33

Number of all

kinds of mink

on all farms

3,429,472

3,379,931

2,489,751

2,234,101

-100

The manure production based on data from the fertiliser accounts shows that 6 % of the total

manure production comes from poultry, 47 % from pigs and 46 % from cattle. The amount of

mink presented in the table, is the number of mink before termination. In November 2020, all

mink in Denmark were ordered to be terminated, as they were classified as a possible health

risk with regard to the spread of Covid 19

There are no signs that indicate that a considerably larger amount of livestock manure will be

produced in 2023, and that the average phosphorus application in Denmark will exceed 25-28

kg P/ha, as the phosphorus ceiling from 2018 onwards will be reduced continuously. This level

will be well below the average phosphorus ceilings of 34.7 kg P/ha in 2018, 34.1 kg P/ha in

2019, 33.2 kg P/ha in 2020 and 2021 and further reductions set for 34 kg P/ha in 2022 and 33

kg P/ha in 2025.

https://www.ft.dk/samling/20201/almdel/mof/bilag/131/2284052.pdf

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7. Targeted catch crops

scheme and targeted

nitrogen regulation

The Danish Agricultural Agency, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of

Denmark, November 2023

7.1

Introduction

As part of the political agreement on the Food and Agricultural Package of December 2015,

the reduction of the nitrogen application standards was removed. It was also agreed to

develop a new nitrogen regulation, the “targeted nitrogen regulation”, which was to be

implemented in 2019.

The Danish government introduced an intermediate initiative, the “targeted catch crops

scheme”, to reduce N-losses through promoting the establishment of additional catch crops in

2017 and 2018. The scheme was designed to protect both groundwater bodies and coastal

waters. The scheme was targeted by assigning different requirements of nitrogen reductions

for different water catchment areas, based on the calculated needed effort within each area.

The scheme consisted of a voluntary phase, where farmers applied for participation in the

scheme, and a subsequent mandatory requirement for catch crops if the voluntary scheme did

not reach the predefined targets within each catchment area. The latter requirement was

uncompensated whereas the voluntary part was compensated with de minimis support.

In November 2017, a political agreement for targeted nitrogen regulation was reached and

would be implemented from 2019. The targeted nitrogen regulation is similar to the targeted

catch crops scheme in many ways. The most significant difference is the introduction of the

possibility to use alternative nitrogen reducing measures to catch crops. Conversion factors

are used to secure that the alternatives have the same effect as catch crop. Like the targeted

catch crops scheme, the targeted nitrogen regulation is divided into a voluntary and a

mandatory part. The targeted nitrogen regulation was subsidized by de minimis in 2019 and by

RDP funds in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

After the application deadline in the voluntary crop scheme, the farmer is bound by any

commitment made, either through catch crops or alternatives, as well as by any additional

catch crop requirement imposed through the mandatory round.

The farmer will not be able to opt out of any of these requirements without consequences. The

voluntary and obligatory targeted catch crops or alternatives must be additional to the national

mandatory requirement for catch crops on 10.7 or 14.7% of the farm’s crop base area, and

they cannot be established on the same area used for catch crops to meet the EFA

requirement under direct payments.

If the farmer opts out afterwards or non-compliance is detected during control, the nitrogen

quota for the farm (calculated on the basis of the composition and distribution of crops and the

soil and crop-specific nitrogen standards) is reduced. The reduction corresponds to the non-

compliance with the voluntary and/or mandatory requirement and according to a conversion

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factor between the nitrogen reduction effect of catch crops and the nitrogen quota reduction for

the planning period. This quota reduction will contribute to meeting the objectives of the

Nitrates Directive. Furthermore, if the reduced nitrogen quota is exceeded, the farmer will be in

breach of the Fertilizer Act and will be sanctioned accordingly cf. Annex III point 1.3 of the

Nitrates Directive.

This is similar to the current practice for the general catch crop requirements and additional

catch crop requirements for holdings using organic manure.

In 2019, the targeted nitrogen regulation contributed to a nitrogen reduction of 1,174 tons in

coastal waters, including reductions of nitrogen leaching to the groundwater. Further, in 2019,

political agreement increased the effort of the targeted nitrogen regulation in 2020 for

additional contribution to meet the objectives of The Water Framework Directive. In 2020,

2021, 2022 and 2023, the targeted nitrogen regulation has contributed to a nitrogen reduction

of 3,500 tons in coastal waters each year.

7.2

Results from 2017 to 2023

Prior to 2017 and 2018, respectively, the ministry calculated the need for further nitrates efforts

for each of the years, which can be expressed as the amount of additional catch crops

required in the individual water catchment areas, in terms of hectares and as a percentage of

the crop base area. The calculation is based on the estimated need for reductions in the

nitrates contents of groundwater bodies and coastal waters, adjusted by the estimated soil

nitrates retention in the water catchment area. In 2019 and 2020, the targeted nitrogen

regulation was dimensioned to comply with the Danish implementation of The Water

Framework Directive.

2017,

the need for further nitrogen efforts was calculated to 137,560 ha. By the application

deadline, the farmers had applied for a total of 144,220 ha of catch crops. However, the

geographical distribution of the catch crops was not optimal in relation to the efforts needed.

Calculations revealed that an additional

3,253

ha catch crops were needed in order to reach

the target. It was decided politically to postpone the residual effort until 2018.

2018,

the need for further nitrogen effort was calculated to 114,300 ha catch crops

(including the postponed 3,253 ha). By the application deadline, the farmers had applied for a

total of 105,000 ha of catch crops. It was furthermore decided to postpone the effort related to

aquaculture (fish farming, mariculture, etc.), as extensions of existing aquaculture facilities had

not been approved. Calculations revealed that an additional

3,000

ha catch crops were

nevertheless needed in order to reach the target. This has been implemented as a mandatory

uncompensated requirement in 2018.

2019,

the need for nitrogen efforts in targeted nitrogen regulation was calculated to 138,200

ha of catch crops. By the application deadline, the farmers had applied for 139,350 ha of catch

crops (and alternatives). Calculation revealed that an additional 275 ha were needed to reach

the set effort. The reason was the geographical distribution of the catch crops, which was not

optimal. It was decided politically to postpone this insignificant residual effort to 2020.

2020

the need for nitrogen efforts in targeted nitrogen regulation was calculated to 373,000

ha of catch crops and included the residual effort from 2019. By the application deadline, the

farmers had applied for 370,000 ha of catch crops (and alternatives). Some applications had to

be dismissed, as the set effort for the individual water catchment areas was already reached.

A total of 349,400 ha was approved for the voluntary phase. Calculations of the geographically

specific retention disclosed that an additional

12,493

ha were needed to reach the set national

nitrogen reduction effort. Consequently, this was implemented as a mandatory

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uncompensated requirement in 2020. Excluding a minor residual effort of 350 ha of catch

crops, which was decided politically to postpone.

2021,

the need for nitrogen efforts was calculated to 3,518 tons of nitrogen, which included

4 tons of residual effort postponed from the previous year. That corresponded to 373,600 ha of

catch crops. By the application deadline, the farmers had applied for 359,200 ha of catch

crops and alternatives. Due to suboptimal geographical placements of the catch crops in

relation to the needed efforts in the individual water catchments areas, some applications had

to be rejected. Some water catchment areas had too many applications, while in other areas

the applications did not meet the required nitrogen targets. A total of 351,800 ha was

approved. It was calculated that an additional effort corresponding to a total of

17,200

ha was

needed to meet the national nitrogen effort goal. This remaining effort was implemented as a

mandatory uncompensated requirement in 2021.

2022,

the need for nitrogen efforts was 3,514 tons of nitrogen, which after allocation to the

individual catchment areas corresponded to 373.500 ha. By the application deadline, the

farmers had applied for 352,500 ha of catch crops and alternatives. A total of 350,150 ha was

approved. An additional effort corresponding to

22,200

ha was needed to meet the national

nitrogen effort goal. This remaining effort was implemented as a mandatory uncompensated

requirement in 2022.

2023,

the target for nitrogen reduction efforts was 3,514 tons of nitrogen, corresponding to

about 373.000 ha of catch crops. A total of 352,800 ha was approved. An additional effort

corresponding to

12,320

ha was needed to meet the national nitrogen effort goal. This

remaining effort was implemented as a mandatory uncompensated requirement in 2023.

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8. Conclusions

8.1

Cattle holdings and controls on farm level

In the planning period 2021/2022, a total of 883 cattle holdings made use of the derogation.

This corresponds to 3.1 % of the total number of agricultural holdings in Denmark. These

holdings spread 32.8 million kg N corresponding to 14.1 % of the total kg N spread. The arable

land encompassed by the derogation in year 2021/2022 was 161,132 hectares corresponding

to around 6.7 % of the total arable area. Compared to the previous reporting period, in

2021/2022 there has been a decrease in the number of farms and the number of hectares

encompassed by the derogation. The average livestock size was 49,279 kg N produced pr.

holding in 2021/2022.

In January – February 2023, 64 inspections of compliance with the derogation management

conditions were carried out. All 64 of these inspections were closed without remarks.

For the year 2020/2021, 70 inspections (0.2 % of all Danish holdings) at the holding were

made concerning compliance with the harmony rules (amount of livestock manure applied per

hectare). 70 of the inspected farms used the derogation. 62 of these inspections were closed

without remarks. One holding was closed with a remark and three holdings got a fine. Four

holdings are still under investigation.

All 28.118 fertilizer accounts submitted in 2020/2021 (100 %) were automatically screened by

the IT-system according to normal procedure. Of these, 1,030 (3.3 %) were subject to

administrative control or administrative inspections. In all, 110 of these holdings used the

derogation. Of the inspections of derogation farms, 90 (81.8 %) were closed without remarks,

eight (7.3 %) were closed with remarks and 12 (10.9 %) are still under investigation.

For the year 2021/2022, 7.2 % of derogation farms had physical inspections. In total, more

derogation farms have been subject to controls due to the aforementioned administrative

inspections. As holdings are automatically selected - based on a previously agreed set of risk

criteria - for both physical inspections and administrative inspections, the Danish Agricultural

Agency has no direct influence on the share of holdings using the derogation that are

inspected each year. Therefore, the share of derogation farms that in some way has been

subject to controls varies from year to year.

8.2

Agricultural practices and water quality

Conclusions

In 1998 the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment (APAE) II was accepted by the EU

Commission as the Danish Nitrate Action Plan implementing the Nitrate Directive (1998-2003).

In 2003, a final evaluation of Action Plan II was performed, showing a reduction of 48% of the

nitrate leaching from the agricultural sector, fulfilling the reduction target set in 1987.

Further mitigation measures were implemented in the following Action Plans. The APAE III

from 2008 was implemented to reduce N leaching from the root zone. Later, the Green Growth

Agreement from 2009, the first and second River Basin Management Plan from 2014 and

2016, respectively as well as the Food and Agricultural Agreement in December 2015

suggests new mitigation measures and reduction targets for N input to marine areas to fulfil

the targets in the Water Framework Directive.

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2023

MOF, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 578: Orientering om 2023 afrapportering for anvendelse af kvægundtagelse i Danmark, fra miljøministeren

Modelling

of the nitrate concentrations in the soil water leaving the root zone at national level

showed an average concentration of 75-85 mg NO3 l-1 for cattle holdings using 170-230 kg

organic manure N in 2022 and the concentrations were 11 mg NO3 l-1 higher for derogation

farms than for cattle farms using 140-170 kg N ha-1 of N in manure and other organic

fertilisers.

Measured

average flow-weighted nitrate concentrations in root zone water for the six specific

sites with an average manure application within 170-230 kg N ha-1 during the last 10-year

period varied between 54 and 128 mg NO3 l-1 and the average flow-weighted nitrate

concentrations in root zone water at five specific sites with an average manure application

within 130-170 kg N ha-1 varied between 39 and 110 mg NO3 l-1 during the same period.

Thus, there was no clear difference in flow-weighted nitrate concentration between monitored

fields with application of 130-170 kg N ha-1 and 170-230 kg N ha-1 in manures. Phosphorus

concentrations in the water leaving the root zone varied in general between 0.005 and

0.050 mg PO4-P l-1, irrespective of the amount of applied organic manure.

The general conclusions to be drawn on trend in measured nitrate concentrations in

root zone water and upper oxic ground from the Agricultural Catchment Monitoring

Programme are that:

•

Nitrate concentrations in root zone soil water (1.0 m below soil surface) have decreased

steadily from 1990/91 to 2015/16. On loamy catchments the measured nitrate

concentration decreased from 61-155 mg NO3 l-1 in the five-year period 1990/91 to

1994/95 to 37-66 mg NO3 l-1 in the five-year period 2011/12 to 2015/16. On sandy

catchments the nitrate concentration was 73-207 mg NO3 l-1 in the five-year period

1990/91 to 1994/95 and decreased to 54-73 mg NO3 l-1 in the five-year period 2011/12

to 2015/16. High annual variation was measured after 2015/16 until 2021/22, 50-116

mg NO3 l-1 on loamy soils and 61-113 mg NO3 l-1 on sandy soils with the highest

concentrations in years with low precipitation and subsequent low percolation and lowest

concentrations in years with high precipitation and subsequent high percolation as seen

in 2019/20. Due to the large annual variations, it is too early to evaluate if there has been

a development in nitrate concentrations in the root zone after 2015.

Average annual nitrate concentrations in the upper oxic groundwater (1.5-5.0 m below

soil surface) are well below the limit of 50 mg NO3 l-1 for loamy catchments since

1990/91 and at 54-83 mg NO3 l-1 for sandy catchments in the 5-year period 2017/18 to

2021/22. However, there is a large local and regional variation in the nitrate content of

upper oxic groundwater for example seen in the latest year. In 2022, oxic upper

groundwater in the sandy and loamy catchments, respectively had more than 50 mg/l on

average in approx. 70% (14 out of 20) and approx. 36% (8 out of 22) of the groundwater

monitoring points. In the sandy catchments nitrate concentrations measured in the stream

water is significantly lower than measured in the upper oxic groundwater due to

contribution of groundwater from deeper soil layers without nitrate or with low

concentrations due to denitrification.

•

8.3

Targeted catch crops and targeted nitrogen regulation

For the year 2017, a total of app. 144,000 ha voluntary targeted catch crops was established,

and a further effort of 3,250 ha were postponed to 2018.

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2023

MOF, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 578: Orientering om 2023 afrapportering for anvendelse af kvægundtagelse i Danmark, fra miljøministeren

In 2018, a total of app. 105,000 ha voluntary catch crops was established, and in addition a

mandatory effort of app. 3,000 ha has been applied (uncompensated).

In 2019, first year of targeted nitrogen regulation, a total of 139,350 ha voluntary catch crops

(or alternatives) were established, a further effort of 275 ha was postponed.

In 2020, the targeted nitrogen regulation continued with a total of app. 349.400 ha voluntary

catch crops established, and an additional mandatory effort of app. 12,500 ha applied

(uncompensated). A further effort of 350 ha was postponed.

In 2021, targeted nitrogen regulation continued with 359,200 ha of catch crops and alternatives

applied for in the voluntary phase. Of those, 351,800 ha catch crops and alternatives were

approved, and a further 17,200 ha was applied through an uncompensated mandatory effort.

In 2022, targeted nitrogen regulation continued with 352,500 ha of catch crops and alternatives

applied for in the voluntary phase. Of those, 350,150 ha catch crops and alternatives were

approved, and a further 22,200 ha was applied through an uncompensated mandatory effort.

In 2023, targeted nitrogen regulation continued with 352,800 ha of catch crops and alternatives

approved in the voluntary phase, and a further 12,320 ha was applied through an

uncompensated mandatory effort.

8.4

The reinforced monitoring

The reinforced monitoring does not provide data that can be used to examine any potential

effect on water quality that might be the result of the use of the derogation. A range of other

fluctuating factors than proximity to a derogation farm influence nutrient concentrations in the

aquatic environment. However, by including the data from the selected set of the surface water

and groundwater monitoring stations, the data basis for water quality in sandy areas is

considerably enlarged. The total number of farms encompassed by the reinforced monitoring

corresponds to 3.4 % of all holdings that make use of the derogation.

8.5

The phosphorus indicator and monitoring system

Neither the phosphorus indicator nor the P monitoring system indicate that the average

phosphorus application in Denmark exceeds the average phosphorus ceiling of 34 kg P/ha.

There is currently also no risk for exceeding future P-ceilings, which are reduced compared to

current level.

Ministry of Environment of Denmark / Nitrates Directive / Derogation Report 2023

MOF, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 578: Orientering om 2023 afrapportering for anvendelse af kvægundtagelse i Danmark, fra miljøministeren

Ministry of Environment of Denmark

Department

Frederiksholm Kanal 26, 1220 Copenhagen K