DCA Market Intelligence introduces new cattle manure benchmark

DCA Market Intelligence is expanding its leading range of Dutch manure price benchmarks with the introduction of a weekly price for cattle manure in the Leeuwarden (Friesland) region.

With this new benchmark, DCA Market Intelligence enhances price transparency for manure collection fees by publishing more than 20 benchmarks weekly for cattle, pig, and poultry manure. The first official cattle manure price for Leeuwarden will be published by DCA Market Intelligence on Thursday, February 6, 2025, via its Dutch platform, Boerenbusiness.nl. The initial price for cattle manure in Leeuwarden is set at €34.50 per ton.

DCA Benchmark Price - Cattle Manure region Leeuwarden

Since 2007, DCA has been the only organization in the Netherlands to record collection fees for manure from cows, pigs, and chickens in various manure surplus regions. Due to the phasing out of derogation policies, the Leeuwarden region is increasingly considered one of these areas. In response to requests from market participants seeking greater transparency in the northern Netherlands' manure market, DCA is introducing a weekly collection fee for Leeuwarden starting in February. This collection fee will complement existing benchmarks for Deurne, Tilburg, Uden, Barneveld, Markelo, and Lichtenvoorde.

As a Price Reporting Agency (PRA), DCA Market Intelligence provides independent benchmark prices, market data, and market insights for the food and agribusiness sectors. Eric de Lijster, PRA manager at DCA Market Intelligence, explains: "With the introduction of the DCA cattle manure collection fee for the Leeuwarden region, we bring a new segment of the Dutch manure market into view. This helps stakeholders such as livestock farmers, transporters, intermediaries, processors, and exporters active in the manure market to establish fixed price agreements. Additionally, these price benchmarks serve as a reference point for price agreements. As with our other benchmarks, we follow an independent and transparent methodology aligned with European guidelines."

For week six, the listed price is €34.50 per ton. This aligns with the stable trend observed in previous weeks when DCA Market Intelligence had already been compiling the price informally. During this verification process, all procedures were thoroughly reviewed.

The Methodology Behind the DCA benchmarks
DCA collects manure price data weekly from a large number of market participants. These so-called panel members report trade transactions from the current week based on predefined specifications established by DCA Market Intelligence in collaboration with the industry organization Cumela. These specifications and the applied methodology are accessible to everyone, which is a key characteristic of a PRA. This transparency ensures reliability and independence. You can find the specifications on our website.