EUROSTAT FUNDED PROJECT ON IMPROVING FERTILISER DATA June 2009

Introduction Project due to complete end August 2009 Data already collected through the British Survey of Fertiliser Practice Main objectives Investigating the usefulness of farm records Alternative methods of collecting data Investigate whether can model FSS responses using data from a dedicated survey Improve data on organic fertiliser (manure)

Usefulness of farm records Data collected for administrative purposes (primarily those required for the Water Framework and Nitrates directives) only has limited geographical and nutrient coverage A third of commercial farmers store fertiliser records electronically But types of data stored and formats vary considerably Little scope in the UK for routinely using farm records for fertiliser estimates at present 3

Alternative methods of data collection Current survey data collected by interviewers, which is expensive There is potential for a nominal cost saving by moving some of the farms with fewer records to telephone Moving to telephone is likely to introduce complexity and reduced accuracy disproportionate with the benefit Postal data collection is not an appropriate option at all, and there is high resistance to this among farmers The current face to face methodology offers the best option in terms of efficiency and accuracy 4

Modelling FSS responses Work ongoing Using existing data to build a model of Nitrogen applications to Wheat (to start) Soil types (national soil map) Amount of livestock on farm (proxy for organic fertiliser applied) Region (proxy for soil types and rainfall) Hope to apply this model to FSS responses But initial work shows unexplained variation in fertiliser applied 5

Improving data on organic fertiliser Confirmed policy requirements for data Water Framework and Nitrates directives Greenhouse gas emissions (also how stored and how applied) Monitoring agronomic efficiency Developed new question on fertiliser applications Tested in 2008 survey Re-analysed historical data and produced consistent time series where possible 6

Improving data on organic fertiliser 7

Summary There are strong policy needs for data on manufactured fertiliser and organic manure use Data collection is complex and an interviewer survey is the best approach for all but the simplest of farms Some data is available from farm records but not consistent Modelling fertiliser usage is difficult – there are many factors involved in decision making Farmers can provide estimates of organic manure use, though will sometimes be approximations 8

Recommendations Consistent data on manufactured and organic fertiliser use is required to inform environmental policies Collecting good quality data is expensive There is limited demand for data at low geographical level and collecting it at this level would come at too great a cost (models may be sufficient) In general, the FSS will not be the best route for collecting fertiliser data Does not require the same large sample size Postal survey in the UK 9