From 1 June this year, dairy farmers in the Netherlands will be given the opportunity to apply for a subsidy scheme aimed at reducing cow numbers. In an effort to de-intensify emissions and reduce manure production, farmers who register for the scheme can choose to keep 10% to 20% fewer cows compared to 2025. The annual compensation for income loss amounts to €1,606 per cow and will be based on the milk yield of the average cow. As well as reducing the cow numbers, farmers will also have to surrender the phosphate rights attached to that cow. In the Netherlands, phosphate rights are similar to “quota” in that a farmer must have enough phosphate rights per animal to produce milk. These rights can be purchased or sold and have been worth upwards of €200 per kilo or per right in recent years. Dutch cows produce an average of 45kg phosphate/year, meaning a farmer could be giving up the value of €9,000/cow in rights. The compensation for surrendering a phosphate right is €110 per right ...