Official Statistics

Soil nutrient balances UK, 2020 - statistics notice

Updated 1 March 2024

Soil nutrient balances provide a method for estimating the annual nutrient loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus to agricultural soils. They give an indication of the potential risk associated with losses of nutrients to the environment; losses which can impact on air and water quality and on climate change. The nutrient balances are used as a high-level indicator of farming’s pressure on the environment and of how that pressure is changing over time. The balances do not estimate the actual losses of nutrients to the environment, but significant nutrient surpluses are directly linked with losses to the environment.

Nutrient balances are of direct relevance to policies relating to agriculture and the environment including climate change, air quality, water quality and habitats and biodiversity.

Key messages

Nitrogen

Provisional estimates for 2020 show the nitrogen balance:

• to be a surplus of 92 kg/ha of managed agricultural land
• increased 6.1 kg/ha (7%) compared to 2019
• decreased 19 kg/ha (17%) compared to 2000

Phosphorous

Provisional estimates for 2020 show the phosphorus balance:

• to be a surplus of 7.3 kg/ha of managed agricultural land
• increased 1.9 kg/ha (34%) compared to 2019
• decreased 2.7 kg/ha (27%) compared to 2000

1. UK Nitrogen Balance

Figure 1. Summary of Nitrogen balance for UK, 2000 to 2020 (kg N per hectare)

For the period 2019 to 2020 the key points are:

• The surplus of 92.2 kg/ha in 2020 is a decrease of 6.1 kg/ha (7%) compared to 2019. This has been driven by a decrease in offtake of 13.5 kg/ha (12%) (mainly via harvested crops) while inputs (mainly from inorganic manufactured fertilisers and livestock manures) decreased by 7.4 kg/ha (3.8%) over the same period.
• The 2020 crop year saw very challenging weather conditions for sowing, crop establishment and harvest. As a result cereal production fell significantly, especially compared to the high levels of production seen in 2019. This drove a large overall decline in offtake, which more than offset a fall in total inputs.
• The fall in inorganic fertilisers was due to a combination of a reduction in planted areas, a swing to spring cropping (particularly spring barley) and generally poor growing conditions throughout the crop year. Further details can be found in the 2020 British Survey of Fertiliser Practice report.

For the period 2000 to 2020 the key points are:

• A 18.9 kg/ha (17%) fall in the total surplus per hectare from 111.1 kg/ha to 92.2 kg/ha.
• The main driver has been a 49.4 kg/ha decrease in inputs (from 236.6 kg/ha to 187.2 kg/ha) due to decreases in the application of inorganic (manufactured) fertilisers and manure production (the result of lower livestock numbers). This has been partially offset by a reduction of 30.5 kg/ha in offtake (particularly forage) from 125.4 kg/ha to 94.9 kg/ha.

The series break in 2009 is due to changes in farm survey data collection.

Table 1.1. Nitrogen balance for UK, 2000, 2019 and 2020 (kg N per hectare)

	2000	2019	prov. 2020	Change 2019-2020	Change 2000-2020
Total Inputs	236.6	194.6	187.2	-7.4	-49.4
Total Outputs	125.4	108.4	94.9	-13.5	-30.5
BALANCE (Inputs minus outputs)	111.1	86.2	92.2	+6.1	-18.9

Table 1.2. Detailed nitrogen balance sheet results, 2000, 2019 and 2020 (thousand tonnes of N)

	2000	2019	prov. 2020	Change 2019-2020	Change 2000-2020
TOTAL INPUTS	2,805	2,403	2,274	-129	-531
Fertilisers	1,301	1,098	1,026	-72	-275
Inorganic fertilisers	1,268	1,039	967	-72	-301
Total organic fertilisers	33	59	59	0	+26
Manures	1,180	1,004	982	-22	-197
Livestock Manure Production	1,196	1,021	1,000	-22	-197
Cattle	773	656	646	-10	-127
Pigs	73	56	55	-1	-18
Sheep and goats	227	181	174	-7	-53
Poultry	116	122	119	-3	+3
Other livestock	7	6	6	0	-1
Withdrawals	-17	-17	-17	0	0
Other inputs	325	300	266	-35	-59
Atmospheric Deposition	172	149	101	-48	-71
Biological fixation	142	141	155	+14	+13
Seeds and Planting Material	10	11	10	-1	-1
TOTAL OFFTAKE	1,487	1,339	1,153	-185	-334
Total Harvested Crops	561	602	447	-155	-114
Cereals	453	481	338	-143	-115
Oil crops	36	54	33	-21	-3
Pulses and Beans	29	34	38	+4	+9
Industrial Crops	15	10	15	+5	0
Other Crops	27	23	23	0	-4
Total Forage	915	725	697	-28	-218
Harvested Fodder Crops	23	45	47	+2	+24
Pasture	892	680	650	-30	-242
Crop residues	12	13	10	-3	-2
BALANCE (Inputs minus Offtake)	1,318	1,064	1,121	+57	-197
Managed area (thousand ha) excluding rough grazing	11,858	12,349	12,152	-197	+294

2. UK Phosphorus Balance

Figure 2. Summary of Phosphorus balance for UK, 2000 to 2020 (kg P per hectare)

For the period 2019 to 2020 the key points are:

• The surplus of 7.3 kg/ha represents an increase of 1.9 kg/ha (34%) compared to 2019.
• This is the largest surplus for over 10 years and has been driven by a 12% decrease in offtake while inputs decreased by 1.5% when compared to 2019. As with nitrogen, decreased production in harvested cereal crops significantly impacted the phosphate balance.

For the period 2000 to 2020 the key points are:

• A 1.9 kg/ha fall in the total surplus per hectare from 10 kg/ha in 2000 to 7.3 kg/ha in 2020 (33%).
• The main driver has been a reduction in inputs (from 30.9 to 23.2 kg/ha) reflecting reduced fertiliser application rates and manure production (due to declining livestock populations). Total offtake has decreased from 20.8 kg/ha to 16.0 kg/ha, largely due to reduced forage production.
• After remaining at a similar level from 2002 to 2007 there was a sharp fall in the surplus between 2007 and 2009. This was a result of increased offtake from harvested crops in 2008 and a sharp reduction in fertiliser applications in 2009. The surplus has since returned to levels more consistent with the longer-term trend.

The series break in 2009 is due to changes in farm survey data collection.

Table 2.1. Phosphorus balance for UK, 2000, 2019 and 2020 (kg P per hectare)

	2000	2019	prov. 2020	Change 2019-2020	Change 2000-2020
Total Inputs	30.9	23.6	23.2	-0.3	-7.9
Total Offtake	20.8	18.2	16.0	-2.2	-4.9
BALANCE (Inputs minus Offtake)	10.0	5.4	7.3	+1.9	-2.7

Table 2.2. Detailed phosphorus balance sheet results, 2000, 2019 and 2020 (thousand tonnes of P)

	2000	2019	prov. 2020	Change 2019-2020	Change 2000-2020
TOTAL INPUTS	366	291	282	-9	-83
Fertilisers	158	111	106	-5	-52
Inorganic fertilisers	138	81	76	-5	-62
Total organic fertilisers	20	31	31	0	+11
Manures	201	173	169	-4	-32
Livestock Manure Production	201	173	169	-4	-32
Cattle	121	102	101	-2	-20
Pigs	15	11	11	0	-4
Sheep and goats	35	28	27	-1	-8
Poultry	28	29	28	-1	0
Other livestock	3	2	2	0	-1
Withdrawals	0	0	0	0	0
Other inputs	7	7	7	0	0
Atmospheric Deposition	5	5	5	0	0
Seeds and Planting Material	2	2	2	0	0
TOTAL OFFTAKE	247	224	194	-30	-53
Total Harvested Crops	100	107	82	-25	-17
Cereals	82	87	65	-22	-17
Oil crops	7	11	7	-4	-1
Pulses and Beans	3	4	4	0	1
Industrial Crops	3	2	3	+1	0
Other Crops	4	4	4	0	0
Total Forage	145	115	110	-5	-35
Harvested Fodder Crops	4	8	9	0	+5
Pasture	141	106	101	-5	-40
Crop residues	2	2	2	-1	0
BALANCE (Inputs minus Offtake)	119	67	88	+21	-30
Managed area (thousand ha) excluding rough grazing	11,858	12,349	12,152	-197	+294

3. What you need to know about this release

This section ensures any important information is clearly explained so users do not misunderstand the data.

3.1. Contact details

Responsible statistician: James Maguire

Email address: agri.environmentstatistics@defra.gov.uk

Enquiries: 020 802 65783

Media enquiries: 0345 051 8486

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2 Marsham Street
Westminster
London
SW1P 4JA

3.2. National and Official Statistics

Publications with National Statistics status meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value, and it is our responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards.

These estimates are based on a methodology developed by the OECD and adopted by Eurostat (see the Methodology section at the end for more detail). Whilst this methodology is sound and allows meaningful comparisons between countries and over time, the specific data sources used within different countries will vary depending on the data available. The majority of the data sources used to calculate these nutrient balance estimates are designated as National Statistics. However, some of the data are from sources that do not have this designation and may have greater levels of uncertainty. As a result these estimates have been designated as Official Statistics.

For general enquiries about National and Official Statistics, contact the National Statistics Public Enquiry Service:

Tel: 0845 601 3034

Email: info@statistics.gov.uk.

You can find National Statistics on the internet on the Gov.uk website.

4. Background and methodology

4.1. Background

Soil nutrient balances provide a method for estimating the nutrient loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus to managed agricultural soils. Whilst a shortage of nutrients can limit the productivity of agricultural soils, a surplus of these nutrients poses a serious environmental risk. Losses of nutrients to the environment can impact on air quality (ammonia emissions), water quality (nitrate and phosphate levels in rivers) and climate change (nitrous oxide emissions). A soil nutrient balance estimate, expressed as a loading of nitrogen or phosphorus per hectare of managed agricultural land can be used as an indicator of the environmental risks. It provides a high level measure which can be used to monitor long term trends and to make meaningful comparisons between countries.

4.2. Methodology

A methodology for calculating soil nutrient balances has been developed by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and adopted by Eurostat (Statistical body of the European Commission). Although based on an internationally recognised methodology, the nutrient balance estimates are subject to a level of uncertainty or error margins. The approach estimates the full range of nutrient inputs and removals to soils from all sources. The input sources are: manures, mineral fertilisers, atmospheric deposition and biological fixation. The removals sources are: crop production and fodder production for livestock, including grazing. The nutrient input or removal from each source is either estimated directly (atmospheric deposition) or calculated by applying a coefficient (e.g. for the amount of nitrogen that a dairy cow produces each year) to the corresponding physical data characteristic (e.g. number of dairy cows). The relevant coefficients are derived from research and the physical data is taken from a wide range of data sources many of which are already published as official statistics.

4.3. UK approach

The estimates within this release are based on a programme of work to develop and improve the methodology and data sources. This work includes two funded projects and follow-up work carried out within Defra. Follow-up work is presented in a separate paper that gives an overview of the methods utilised to compile the data series within this release. The paper also gives details of where they differ to the proposals within the ADAS project and provides a commentary on the resultant balances and components. The project report can be found on the archive website. The estimates presented in this Statistics Notice use the June Survey data for England for commercial holdings for 2009 onwards and for all farms for preceding years. A consistent time series can be found in the accompanying excel worksheets. Managed agricultural land has been defined as the utilised agricultural area (UAA) excluding common land and sole right rough grazing. The balance per hectare is based on the area of managed agricultural land. This is based on the approximation that this is the only land to which significant levels of fertilisers and manures are applied.

4.4. Future publications

The next publication is due in July 2022

5. Glossary

Term	Definition
Nutrients	The key macro-nutrients required for crop growth which are nitrogen and phosphorus
Inputs	The total amount of inputs of each nutrient to the soil. This can be through application of mineral fertilisers or organic manures, atmospheric deposition or biological fixation
Offtake	The total amount of nutrients removed from the soil by the growth of crops, which are either harvested or grazed by livestock.
Nutrient balance	The difference between the inputs and the offtake for each nutrient
Loading	Another term for the balance, conveying that this is the total net amount being loaded onto the soil over a year
Surplus	If the annual inputs exceed the offtake the net balance represents a surplus of the nutrient. This surplus represents an environmental risk as it can be lost from the soil to the air or water courses.
Deficit	If the annual inputs are less than the offtake the net balance represents a deficit of the nutrient and hence the crop growth requirements will not have been met.
Atmospheric Deposition	The process by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is transferred into soils.
Biological Fixation	The process by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is incorporated into the tissues of plants and crops