1. Reflections from Finland
Jouni Nousiainen
MTT Agrifood Research Finland

2. Task 1 “Overview of existing excretion factors”. 1.
I agree with the principle: N excretion “under the tail of the animal”
Important source data in further calculations (gaseous N losses)
N excretion of an animal basis and other on animal places basis.
I believe that this is one reason for differences.
“There is a clear need for a harmonized procedure to calculate N excretions and describe the methodology. “
I agree. I would have needed advice like this when I started the excretion calculations.
© MTT Agrifood Research Finland

3. Task 1 “Overview of existing excretion factors”. 2
Task 1 “Overview of existing excretion factors”. 2. Country reports: Finland
“It is not indicated if the figures for the Nitrates Directive are net or gross excretion rates. “
All values that have calculated are gross excretion values. There are older values that are estimated by others.
For some animal groups I have also developed new calculation systems that have given a bit different values.
There were also some errors in source materials and calculation principles ( animal /animal place)

4. Task 5.
My calculation systems are related to Tier 3, some minor animal groups related to Tier 1.
Feed intake (based on production and feeding recommendations), feed composition, animal production and composition of animal products) are available on an annual basis.
Numbers of animals are well available in those categories
We are having feeding recommendations for different animal groups, they can be used in feed intake estimations.

5. Task 5.
I have quite complicated calculation systems for cattle, so the presented simple calculation methods are intresting.

6. Task 6 Default Phosphorus excretion factors 1.
Dairy cow example contained some useful information for me. I have not seen the AFRC 1991 formula used to calculate the phosphorus content of dairy cow growth. Same kind of formula would be very useful for other cattle groups too.
Monogastric animal example showed quite well the complicated phosphorus world when available phosphorus and phytase are used.
Overfeeding of phosphorus? Do exist in Finnish dairy cows when rapeseed meal (13-15 g P/kg DM)is fed.

7. Task 6 Default Phosphorus excretion factors 2.
Broiler calculations in Table 14 in page 27 shows well the need of description of calculation procedures.
I have used following system in broilers:
In 2012 one broiler had a kg P intake, P retention and thus excretion, 40 days.
Animal place: In Finland 6 groups /year = 6 x =0.090 kg P.
Animal statistics: In Finland they are based on a sample, so it must be assumed that there is the same amount of broilers in every day. So excretion: (0.015/40) x 365 =

8. What would be most important for future excretion estimation:
A database of N ja P content in whole animals, important but I has been difficult to find reliable values.
Important in different cattle groups, large differences do exist for certain.
The relation of available phosphorus to total phosphorus content in monogastric animal diets, phytase use?

9. Finnish normative manure project
Co-operation with MTT (Sari Luostarinen, Maarit Hellstedt, Jouni Nousiainen) and SYKE (Juha Grönroos).
The goals of the project are related to agenda of this work: To create calculation systems for estimation of the content and volume of manure in different animal groups.
In addition to nitrogen and phosphorus the excretion potassium, dry matter, organic matter and water is estimated, both in faeces and urine.
Also added water, straw, turf etc and water evaporation (poultry manure) and aerial losses to air are estimated.