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France’s agricultural sector is among the largest in the EU, and as it shifts toward more sustainable farming practices, it is opening significant opportunities for Dutch manure exporters. As the French look to reduce CO2 emissions and support crop farming, the demand for organic fertilizers is rising, making Dutch manure an important resource. This article looks at the French fertilizer market, the growing need for Dutch manure, and the steps Dutch exporters can take to capitalize on this market.
The agricultural sector in France makes up 18% of the EU’s agricultural production and covers 49% of the country’s land. It includes livestock farming, grain production, horticulture, and viticulture. The arable land of the 'grandes cultures', stretching from the Loire Valley to the North and North-East, mainly produces wheat, corn, oilseeds, and potatoes. These areas are the largest users of both organic and mineral fertilizers, accounting for 65.5% of France's fertilizer market in 2023.
France’s fertilizer market
According to the Association National Professionnelle pour les Engrais et Amendments (ANPEA), total fertilizer use in France has remained relatively steady over the past decade, with around 18 million tons sold each year since 2010. However, the balance between mineral and organic fertilizer sales has shifted. Ten years ago, organic fertilizer made up 33% of the total volume, but by 2022, this had increased to 42.5%. This rise is largely due to the growing use of organic soil improvers, although livestock manure sales have stayed at around 10% of the total.
The demand for organic fertilizers is also growing due to sustainability goals set by the government’s Stratégie Nationale Bas Carbone 3, which aims to cut agricultural CO2 emissions by 10 million tons by 2030, compared to 2021. A key part of this plan includes reducing mineral fertilizer use by 26% and the diversification of nitrogen and phosphate sources, increasing the use of livestock manure and digestates. As a result, there are opportunities for marketing Dutch manure in France.
Dutch manure’s growing role in French agriculture
France has historically been a major destination for Dutch manure and currently remains its largest importer. The regions of Hauts-de-France and the Grand Est are the main destinations for manure due to their large areas of arable land. These regions are geographically closer to the Netherlands than Bretagne, which has a large livestock sector and consequently produces considerable amounts of manure. In terms of phosphate volumes, 47% of all exported Dutch manure is imported by France. Currently, French importers, such as agricultural buying groups and distributors, primarily purchase hygienized organic fertilizer based on poultry and pig manure.
LAN team engagement with key stakeholders
To boost Dutch manure exports to France, the Netherlands Agricultural Network (LAN) team at the Dutch Embassy in Paris had discussions with key stakeholders in the sector – including agricultural buying groups, unions, advocacy groups, and government agencies – to understand their role and needs for manure from the Netherlands. The goal of these discussions is to address the shortage of organic fertilizer in the 'grandes cultures' by increasing Dutch manure imports. Agricultural buying groups, which purchase and resell fertilizers and other supplies, distribute manure to cooperatives and individual farmers. Soufflet Agriculture and INOXA explicitly expressed interest in sourcing Dutch manure, since providing manure supports their sustainability goals. Other potential interested parties are AREA, Agrial and AXSO.
Agricultural buying groups could help market Dutch manure in France, but unions and other organizations representing the sector can also play a key role in connecting Dutch exporters with the right French partners. The Afaïa represents companies that produce organic fertilizers and soil improvers, while the Union des Industries de la Fertilisation (UNIFA) covers the entire fertilizer sector and provides useful statistics. Furthermore, knowledge institutes like Association Française de Commercialisation et de Mélanges d’Engrais (AFCOME) offer practical insights into how to bring manure to the market.
‘In terms of phosphate volumes, 47% of all exported Dutch manure is imported by France’
Meeting the market’s needs: four tips for Dutch exporters
Through discussions with stakeholders in the fertilizer sector, the LAN team has found that French companies are interested to purchase Dutch manure. The product is already relevant in supporting the sustainability of the 'grandes cultures' and reducing reliance on imported mineral fertilizers outside the EU. Agricultural buying groups are particularly interested in hygienized solid animal manure-based fertilizers, because they are easier to transport and more cost-effective than processed manure granules. The latter is too expensive for use on arable land, though still valuable for organic farming.
There are four tips for Dutch exporters, to fully take advantage of these opportunities:
- First and foremost, the product must consistently meet high quality standards, with a uniform composition and formal guarantees, such as through certification schemes.
- Export procedures need to be carefully arranged. There are four main ways to market manure in France, and a company should choose one of these:
- Autorisation de Mise sur la Marché (AMM): receiving an AMM permit requires a dossier to be submitted to the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (ANSES). This is a costly process, specific to each product, and authorization is granted for a limited number of years.
- EU-regulation 2019/1009: this regulation covers the conditions for making fertilizers available in the internal EU market. It is typically used for organic fertilizers based on compost or digestate, but it usually requires costly third-party involvement for proper documentation.
- Plans d’épandage: this application plan is typically for digestate used as an organic fertilizer. This plan must be submitted per farm, making it complex to implement.
- NFU norms: compliance with NFU norms is required for certain products, such as animal manure-based fertilizers. NFU 42-001-2 applies in this case, and the norm is available through the Association Française de normalisation (AFNOR). Complying with NFU norm 42-001-02 is the most straightforward for Dutch exporters.
- Transportation and distribution need to be arranged in line with relevant regulations. By whom is up to the parties involved to decide.
- The manure should be sold at a competitive price on the French market. The optimal approach would be to manage the export of animal-manure-based fertilizers centrally, through a few parties who handle the formalities. In that case, it makes it safer and more efficient.
Future steps for expanding Dutch manure exports
To ensure that Dutch companies fully capitalize on the opportunities in the French manure market, the LAN team in Paris will continue to support the development of Dutch manure export in the coming years. It will do so by facilitating the knowledge exchange and matchmaking between relevant stakeholders, by providing information, organizing missions and bringing parties around the table. All in all, there are opportunities to sell increasing volumes of manure, if product quality, export formalities, transportation, and competitive pricing are ensured.
More information
Would you like to know more about the manure market in France? You can visit the country page of France at the website Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. You can also send an email to the LAN team at the Dutch Embassy in Paris: PAR-lvvn@minbuza.nl.
