Soil nutrient balances England, 2023 - statistics notice
Published 12 December 2024
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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
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Estimates for 2023 show that the England nitrogen balance was a surplus of 80.8 kg/ha of managed agricultural land. This represented an increase of 6.4 kg/ha (+8.6%) compared to 2022, and a decrease of 23.6 kg/ha (-22.6%) compared to 2000.
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Estimates for 2023 show that the England phosphorus balance was a surplus of 0.8 kg/ha of managed agricultural land. This represented an increase of 0.4 kg/ha (+77.4%) compared to 2022, and a decrease of 7.6 kg/ha (-90.5%) compared to 2000.
1. England Nitrogen balance
Figure 1. Summary of nitrogen balance for England, 2000 to 2023 (kg N per hectare of managed agricultural land)
Notes:
- From 2010 in England, June Survey data has been collected only for ‘commercial’ farms. For comparability, estimates for 2009 have been produced using June Survey data representing both ‘all farms’ (a) and only ‘commercial farms’ (b).
For the period 2022 to 2023 the key points are:
The overall England nitrogen balance in 2023 was a surplus of 80.8 kg/ha, which represented an increase of 6.4 kg/ha (+8.6%) compared to 2022.
This was driven by a decrease in Total Offtake of 3.4 kg/ha (-3.3%) primarily due to a reduction in offtake from cereal crops, and an increase in Total Inputs of 3.0 kg/ha (+1.7%) as a result of increased atmospheric deposition. Yield and production of wheat and winter barley were down in 2023, compared to 2022. Further details can be found in Chapter 7: Crops of Agriculture in the UK.
For the period 2000 to 2023 the key points are:
The overall England nitrogen balance remained in surplus throughout the period but decreased by 23.6 kg/ha (-22.6%) from 104.5 kg/ha in 2000 to 80.8 kg/ha in 2023.
Since 2000, Total Inputs of nitrogen decreased by 52.8 kg/ha (-22.6%), which more than offset a decrease in Total Offtake of 29.2 kg/ha (-22.6%).
The main drivers behind the decrease in Total Inputs of nitrogen were reductions in the application of inorganic manufactured fertiliser and livestock manure production. The main drivers behind the decrease in Total Offtake of nitrogen were a decrease in pasture consumption due to a reduction in the number of grazing livestock and reduced cereal offtake.
The series break in 2009 is due to changes in the population of farms used for the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture, which provides much of the underlying data used to calculate these estimates.
Table 1.1. Nitrogen balance for England, 2000, 2022 and 2023 (kg N per hectare of managed agricultural land)
| Item | 2000 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2022-2023 | Change 2000-2023 | % Change 2022-2023 | % Change 2000-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Inputs | 233.3 | 177.5 | 180.5 | +3.0 | -52.8 | +1.7% | -22.6% |
| Total Offtake | 128.8 | 103.1 | 99.7 | -3.4 | -29.2 | -3.3% | -22.6% |
| Nutrient Balance (Inputs minus offtake) | 104.5 | 74.4 | 80.8 | +6.4 | -23.6 | +8.6% | -22.6% |
Notes:
- Managed agricultural land excludes rough grazing.
- Changes have been computed on unrounded figures.
Table 1.2. Detailed nitrogen balance sheet for England, 2000, 2022 and 2023 (thousand tonnes of N)
| Item | 2000 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2022-2023 | Change 2000-2023 | % Change 2022-2023 | % Change 2000-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Inputs | 1,862 | 1,440 | 1,444 | +4 | -418 | +0% | -22% |
| Fertilisers | 938 | 682 | 688 | +6 | -251 | +1% | -27% |
| Inorganic Fertilisers | 910 | 631 | 636 | +6 | -274 | +1% | -30% |
| Total Organic Fertilisers (excluding livestock manure) | 28 | 52 | 51 | 0 | +23 | -1% | +81% |
| Net Input of Manure | 680 | 547 | 533 | -14 | -147 | -3% | -22% |
| Livestock Manure Production | 697 | 560 | 546 | -14 | -151 | -2% | -22% |
| Cattle | 439 | 343 | 342 | -2 | -97 | 0% | -22% |
| Pigs | 62 | 44 | 39 | -5 | -22 | -11% | -36% |
| Sheep and Goats | 101 | 79 | 78 | -1 | -23 | -2% | -23% |
| Poultry | 91 | 90 | 84 | -6 | -7 | -7% | -7% |
| Other Livestock | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | -2 | -1% | -37% |
| Manure Not Spread on Land | -17 | -13 | -13 | 0 | +4 | +1% | -23% |
| Other Inputs | 244 | 211 | 223 | +12 | -21 | +6% | -9% |
| Atmospheric Deposition | 126 | 74 | 85 | +11 | -41 | +16% | -32% |
| Biological Fixation (only applicable to N) | 109 | 129 | 129 | +0 | +20 | +0% | +19% |
| Seeds and Planting Material | 9 | 8 | 9 | +0 | -1 | +2% | -7% |
| Total Offtake | 1,029 | 836 | 797 | -39 | -231 | -5% | -22% |
| Total Harvested Crops | 496 | 436 | 401 | -35 | -95 | -8% | -19% |
| Cereals | 398 | 340 | 306 | -35 | -92 | -10% | -23% |
| Oil crops | 32 | 38 | 32 | -5 | 0 | -14% | 0% |
| Pulses and Beans | 29 | 31 | 34 | +3 | +5 | +9% | +18% |
| Industrial Crops | 15 | 10 | 13 | +3 | -2 | +29% | -15% |
| Other Crops | 22 | 17 | 16 | -1 | -6 | -7% | -28% |
| Total Forage | 491 | 362 | 359 | -3 | -132 | -1% | -27% |
| Harvested Fodder Crops | 17 | 35 | 38 | +3 | +20 | +7% | +118% |
| Pasture | 474 | 327 | 321 | -6 | -152 | -2% | -32% |
| Crop Residues | 42 | 39 | 38 | 0 | -4 | -1% | -9% |
| Nutrient Balance (Inputs Minus Offtake) | 834 | 604 | 646 | +43 | -187 | +7% | -22% |
Notes:
- Changes have been computed on unrounded figures.
2. England Phosphorus balance
Figure 2. Summary of Phosphorus balance for England, 2000 to 2023 (kg P per hectare of managed agricultural land)
Notes:
- From 2010 in England, June Survey data has been collected only for ‘commercial’ farms. For comparability, estimates for 2009 have been produced using June Survey data representing both ‘all farms’ (a) and only ‘commercial farms’ (b).
For the period 2022 to 2023 the key points are:
The overall England phosphorus balance in 2023 was a surplus of 0.8 kg/ha, which represented an increase of 0.4 kg/ha (+77.4%) compared to 2022.
This was driven by a decrease in Total Offtake of phosphorus of 0.7 kg/ha (-4.0%), primarily due to a reduction in harvested crops, which more than offset a decrease in Total Inputs of 0.4 kg/ha (-2.1%), mainly from reductions in use of inorganic manufactured fertiliser and livestock manure production. Further details can be found in the 2023 British Survey of Fertiliser Practice report (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fertiliser-usage). Yield and production of wheat and winter barley were down in 2023 leading to a reduction in cereal offtake. Further details can be found in Chapter 7: Crops of Agriculture in the UK.
For the period 2000 to 2023 the key points are:
The overall England phosphorus balance remained in surplus throughout the period but decreased by 7.6 kg/ha (-90.5%) from 8.4 kg/ha in 2000 to 0.8 kg/ha in 2023.
Over this time, Total Inputs of Phosphorus decreased by 11.5 kg/ha (-38.4%), which more than offset a decrease in Total Offtake of 3.9 kg/ha (-18.1%).
As with nitrogen, the main drivers behind the decrease in Total Inputs of phosphorus were reductions in the application of inorganic manufactured fertiliser and cattle manure production.
The main driver behind the decrease in Total Offtake of phosphorus was a decrease in pasture consumption due to a reduction in the number of grazing livestock.
The series break in 2009 is due to changes in the population of farms used for the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture, which provides much of the underlying data used to calculate these estimates.
Table 2.1. Phosphorus balance for England, 2000, 2022 and 2023 (kg P per hectare of managed agricultural land)
| Item | 2000 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2022-2023 | Change 2000-2023 | % Change 2022-2023 | % Change 2000-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Inputs | 30.1 | 18.9 | 18.5 | -0.4 | -11.5 | -2.1% | -38.4% |
| Total Offtake | 21.6 | 18.5 | 17.7 | -0.7 | -3.9 | -4.0% | -18.1% |
| Nutrient Balance (Inputs minus offtake) | 8.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +0.4 | -7.6 | +77.4% | -90.5% |
Notes:
- Managed agricultural land excludes rough grazing.
- Changes have been computed on unrounded figures.
Table 2.2. Detailed phosphorus balance sheet for England, 2000, 2022 and 2023 (thousand tonnes of P)
| Item | 2000 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2022-2023 | Change 2000-2023 | % Change 2022-2023 | % Change 2000-2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Inputs | 240 | 154 | 148 | -5 | -92 | -3% | -38% |
| Fertilisers | 115 | 52 | 49 | -2 | -65 | -5% | -57% |
| Inorganic Fertilisers | 97 | 30 | 28 | -2 | -69 | -7% | -71% |
| Total Organic Fertilisers (excluding livestock manure) | 18 | 22 | 21 | 0 | +4 | -2% | +20% |
| Net Input of Manure | 121 | 97 | 94 | -3 | -26 | -3% | -22% |
| Livestock Manure Production | 121 | 97 | 94 | -3 | -26 | -3% | -22% |
| Cattle | 69 | 54 | 53 | 0 | -16 | 0% | -23% |
| Pigs | 12 | 9 | 8 | -1 | -5 | -10% | -37% |
| Sheep and Goats | 16 | 12 | 12 | 0 | -4 | -2% | -23% |
| Poultry | 22 | 22 | 20 | -1 | -2 | -7% | -9% |
| Other Livestock | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1% | -38% |
| Manure Not Spread on Land | 0 | 0 | 0 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Other Inputs | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | +0 | 0% | +1% |
| Atmospheric Deposition | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +0 | -1% | +6% |
| Biological Fixation (only applicable to N) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Seeds and Planting Material | 2 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 0 | +2% | -7% |
| Total Offtake | 173 | 150 | 142 | -8 | -31 | -5% | -18% |
| Total Harvested Crops | 87 | 86 | 78 | -7 | -8 | -9% | -9% |
| Cereals | 70 | 70 | 63 | -7 | -7 | -10% | -11% |
| Oil crops | 7 | 8 | 6 | -1 | 0 | -14% | 0% |
| Pulses and Beans | 3 | 4 | 4 | +0 | +1 | +9% | +19% |
| Industrial Crops | 3 | 2 | 3 | +1 | 0 | +29% | -15% |
| Other Crops | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -1 | -7% | -24% |
| Total Forage | 79 | 57 | 57 | -1 | -22 | -1% | -28% |
| Harvested Fodder Crops | 3 | 6 | 7 | +0 | +4 | +7% | +117% |
| Pasture | 76 | 51 | 50 | -1 | -26 | -2% | -34% |
| Crop Residues | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | -1 | -1% | -9% |
| Nutrient Balance (Inputs Minus Offtake) | 67 | 4 | 6 | +3 | -61 | +75% | -90% |
Notes:
- Changes have been computed on unrounded figures.
3. What you need to know about this release
3.1. Contact details
Responsible statistician: Andrew Fletcher
Email address: agri.environmentstatistics@defra.gov.uk
Enquiries: 02080 266449
For media queries between 9am and 6pm on weekdays: • Telephone: 0330 041 6560 • newsdesk@defra.gov.uk (monitored 9am to 6pm on weekdays)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Floor 3, Mallard House 1-2 Peasholme Green York YO1 7PX
3.2. Official Statistics status
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You can read about how Official Statistics in Defra comply with these standards on the Defra Statistics website.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards using the contact details above. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR 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). Although based on an internationally recognised methodology, the nutrient balance estimates are subject to a level of uncertainty or error margins. The approach attempts to capture 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 offtake outlets are: crop production and fodder production for livestock, including grazing. The nutrient input or offtake 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 statistics release are based methodology proposed by ADAS in a 2010 Defra funded project. This project was, in turn, based on existing OECD methodology. Minor modifications have since been made by Defra, however most of the original 2010 coefficients (principally relating to N and P content of various agricultural inputs and outputs) are still in use.
The estimates presented in this statistics release are underpinned by annual data from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture (‘June Survey’). From 2010 in England, June Survey data was collected only for ‘commercial’ farms. For 1990 to 2008, June Survey data represented a larger population. For comparability, data for 2009 have been presented on both the definition used for 2000 to 2008 and that used from 2010 onwards. A full time series can be found in the accompanying datasets.
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. We are currently investigating potential methodological improvements to recognise changes to UK agricultural systems since the original methodology was devised. The 2021 data release (22 December 2022) included an adjustment to the estimate for the removal of straw, which resulted in an increase to the ‘Crop residues’ offtake component. The time series was backdated with the adjustment applied to all years for which data is published.
4.4. Future publications
Information on future publications can be found under ‘Our Portfolio’ on the ‘Statistics at Defra’ website on GOV.UK.
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. |