Nutrient inputs and balance in the EU (2011) (kg of nutrient per hectare of utilised agricultural area)

The main nutrients in fertilisers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In the EU, nitrogen fertilisers are most widely used, with some variations among Member States: while nitrogen inputs per utilised agricultural area are highest in North-Western Europe, Mediterranean countries tend to have higher phosphorus inputs (see Figure 2). A 2012 study carried out on behalf of the Commission estimates that nutrients supplied in European agriculture come from inorganic fertilisers and livestock manure in almost equal proportion.