Summary
The Scientific Committee on Nutrient Management Policy advises the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.
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Scientific Committee on Nutrient Management Policy (CDM)
The Dutch government's manure policy is laid down in the Manure and Fertilisers Act (Meststoffenwet). This legislation contains the rules, standards and standardises values that regulates the use of manure in agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature is responsible for this legislation and in this capacity is advised by the Scientific Committee on Nutrient Management Policy (CDM).
Independent scientific advice
The CDM is an independent scientific committee, established in 2003 at the ministry's request. The committee consists of seven members from different knowledge institutes and is supported by a consultant from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).
The CDM falls under the Statutory Research Tasks Unit for Nature & the Environment (WOT Nature & Environment), a part of Wageningen University & Research. This position enables the committee to provide empirically validated advice for a rigorous and transparent manure policy.
Rigorous working methods and transparent advice
The CDM’s activities are set out in an annual work plan, which is approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. Much of the substantive work is carried out by specialised working groups, whose members are appointed for their specific expertise.
In consultation with the CDM secretary, the working groups draw up a preliminary advice, which forms the basis for the committee’s recommendations. All the recommendations issued by CDM are published in the public domain so that policymakers, industry associations and other interested parties have access to the scientific basis of policy.
The CDM's tasks
The CDM has the following tasks:
- Assessing substances and co-digestion materials according to the protocol for the assessment of substances under the Manure and Fertilisers Act: Protocol for the assessment of substances under the Manure and Fertilisers Act (in Dutch) (pdf)
- Assessing the risk of emissions from the use of manure in ways other than those prescribed in the Decree on Fertiliser Use, according to the protocol for the application of manure: Protocol for application guidelines for livestock manure (in Dutch) (pdf)
- Answering questions on standardised values for nutrient contents of livestock manure and co-digestion materials in relation to the enforcement of the Manure and Fertilisers Act by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)
- Establishing scientific principles for the annual calculation of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
- Review of the annual report by National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Wageningen Economic Research on monitoring the implementation of derogation in the Netherlands
- Maintenance of standardised values for nutrient contents of livestock manure and gaseous emissions used in the implementation of the Manure and Fertilisers Act
- When requested by the Ministry, the CDM carries out reviews of scientific reports on topics relevant to the Manure and Fertilisers Act
- Determining manure processing percentages in relation to the manure policy.
Committee members
Chair
Prof.dr.ir. G.L. Velthof
Wageningen University & Research
Soil and nutrient management
Members
Prof.dr.ir. E. Meers
Ghent University
Environmental technology and resource use
Prof.dr.ir. M.K. van Ittersum
Wageningen University
Plant production systems
Dr.ir. J. Dijkstra
Wageningen University
Animal Nutrition
Dr. M.A. Wiering
Radboud University Nijmegen
Policy transormations for a sustainable society
Dr.ir. C.G. Kocks
AERES University of Applied Sciences
Precision agriculture and smart farming
Prof.dr.ir. N.J.M. van Eekeren
Wageningen University
Regenerative grassland systems
Secretary
ir. EMPM (Erwin) van Boekel
Wageningen University & Research
Consultants
Dr. Lena Schulte-Uebbing
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL)
CDM-documents are only available in Dutch, see Commissie van Deskundigen Meststoffenwet (CDM)
CDM publications are available at Research@WUR
Contact
Postal address:
Wageningen Environmental Research, Postbus 47, 6700 AA Wageningen.
Visiting address:
Gaia gebouw, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen.