Environmental Issues of Fertiliser Use in the Netherlands

Keywords: Environment, Phosphate, Manure.

The application of nutrients as fertilisers or other materials is necessary from an agricultural point of view. Nevertheless, the quantities of nutrient elements and contaminants in these nutrient sources should be applied in compliance with environmental considerations. Some (specifically Dutch) areas of conflict between agriculture and environment are discussed. A concept for an environmentally well balanced fertilisation strategy is given and some desirable future developments are outlined.

S E A T M van der Zee and F A M de Haan, Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, PO Box 8005, NL-6700 EC Wageningen, Netherlands.

26 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, 29 references.