Gross nutrient balance on agricultural land

The indicator balance represents the total potential threat to the environment of nitrogen and phosphorous surplus or deficit in agricultural soils. A lack of nitrogen or phosphorous may cause degradation in soil fertility and erosion, while an excess may cause surface and groundwater (including drinking water) pollution and eutrophication. Manure and fertiliser introduce nitrogen and phosphorous to the soil while harvesting of crops, removal of residues and runoff remove nitrogen and phosphorous from the soil. Nitrogen and phosphorous balance surpluses are monitored for the purposes of the Water Framework Directive and nitrogen for the Nitrates Directive. The data comes from multiple sources including the consumption of fertilisers, livestock population, crop production and areas of various types of crops. The land types included are arable land, permanent crops and permanent grassland. The unit of measure used is kg of nutrient per hectare of this land.