Nutrient management
Updated 13 June 2024
Applies to England
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Effective nutrient management provides sufficient nutrients to meet the growth requirements of crops and grassland whilst managing environmental impacts; it can help minimise GHG emissions, reduce the incidence of diffuse water pollution and increase productivity by reducing input costs. Here we consider how farmers manage the application of fertilisers and manures, the use of nutrient management plans and how nutrient requirements are calculated and monitored.
Nutrient Management Plans
Figure 1 Proportion of holdings with a nutrient management plan
| Year | Holdings with a nutrient management plan | Holdings without a nutrient management plan | Not applicable | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 58% | 31% | 11% | 100% |
| 2020 | 57% | 32% | 11% | 100% |
| 2021 | 56% | 32% | 12% | 100% |
| 2022 | 54% | 33% | 13% | 100% |
| 2023 | 56% | 31% | 13% | 100% |
In 2023, 56% of farmers had a nutrient management plan. This has remained largely unchanged in recent years (Figure 1) and at a similar level to that seen in 2011 when this survey began. Of those with a plan, 28% created it themselves without professional help, a further 36% created their plan with professional advice and the remaining 36% had the plan created for them by a contractor or advisor (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Proportion of holdings who either created the plan themselves or used advisers/professional advice
| Year | Self produced plan without professional advice | Self produced plan with professional advice | Plan produced by an adviser or contractor | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 25% | 43% | 32% | 100% |
| 2020 | 22% | 44% | 33% | 100% |
| 2021 | 28% | 37% | 35% | 100% |
| 2022 | 31% | 39% | 30% | 100% |
| 2023 | 28% | 36% | 36% | 100% |
Of those that sought professional advice when producing the plan, the majority (76%) did so from fertiliser advisors or agronomists. Most of those with a nutrient management plan update it every year (70%) and almost all (92%) refer to it at least once a year.
PLANET, Muddy Boots, Farmade/Multicrop and Tried & Tested are methods for creating nutrient management plans. PLANET is the most popular of these four methods (Figure 3), although in each of the last five years the largest proportion of farmers (30% in 2023) have used other methods not listed on the survey form to create their plans. The ‘Nutrient Management Guide (RB209)’ has consistently been the most common source of recommendations for plans since we started collecting this data. This remains the case in 2023, with over half of farms (57%) with a nutrient management plan using this guide.
Figure 3 Proportion of holdings using each tool to create a nutrient management plan
| Tool | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Farmade/ Multicrop | 6% | 5% |
| Industry plan - Tried and Tested | 17% | 11% |
| Muddy Boots | 18% | 15% |
| PLANET | 19% | 16% |
| Don’t know | 13% | 29% |
| Other | 37% | 30% |
Nutrient testing
The proportion of farmers undertaking some form of nutrient testing on soil has remained stable in recent years. In 2023, 70% of farmers were regularly testing the nutrient content (indices) of soil and 74% were regularly testing the pH. Well over half of farms (60%) have calculated a whole farm nutrient balance for nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium. In 2023, 32% of farms have calculated the balance every year, 7% every 2 years, and 22% every 3 or more years (Figure 4).
Figure 4 Proportion of holdings calculating a whole farm nutrient balance for N (nitrogen) or P (phosphorus) or K (potassium) by frequency
| Year | Every year | Every 2 years | Every 3 years or more | Never | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 30% | 7% | 22% | 42% | 100% |
| 2021 | 30% | 8% | 23% | 39% | 100% |
| 2022 | 26% | 7% | 24% | 43% | 100% |
| 2023 | 32% | 7% | 22% | 40% | 100% |
When testing for other metals, the majority of farms (68%) have never tested their soils for levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead or zinc. A further 25% had tested in some fields, 4% in every field, and the remaining 3% in one field.
The proportion of farmers undertaking nutrient testing of manure has increased steadily over the past five years, with just 44% of farmers saying no testing is being done in 2023 compared to 52% in 2019. Of those who did test in 2023, the highest proportion (34%) tested based on published tables, 19% used sampling and lab analysis and 4% sampling and on-farm testing (Figure 5).
Figure 5 Proportion of holdings testing nutrient content of manure by method
| Method | 2019 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Sampling and on-farm testing | 3% | 4% |
| Sampling and lab analysis | 14% | 19% |
| Based on published tables | 32% | 34% |
| No testing done | 52% | 44% |
Manure Management Plans
Approximately 70% of farms have a manure management plan in 2023, showing little change since 2022. The majority of farmers (85%) with a manure management plan used Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) or the Code of Good Agricultural Practice (CoGAP) as the source of nutrient recommendations.
Soil monitoring
Soil Monitoring looks at the use of soil organic matter and whether this is being recorded. Organic matter helps to retain nutrients and water in soil. Benefits include reduced compaction and surface crusting, plus improved water infiltration into the soil.
In 2023, 43% of farmers kept track of soil organic matter on their farm, an increase compared to 36% in 2022. Of those not keeping track, the most common reason for not doing so was not considering it important enough to test for, selected by 36% of farmers. Other obstacles included difficulty interpreting results, selected by 27% of farmers and expense, selected by 23%. Figure 6 shows little change in these options between 2022 and 2023.
Figure 6 Reasons preventing farmers keeping track of soil organic matter (proportion of holdings)
| Reason | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Not important enough to test for | 33% | 36% |
| Difficult to interpret results | 26% | 27% |
| Too expensive | 20% | 23% |
| Other | 30% | 25% |