Can a flexible fee mechanism be applied to stave off shortages of phosphorous and secure food production in the next two decades? Input from Dr Rosemarin, with extensive experience in this area.

1. Workshop on Flexible Emission Fees:
The Case for Phosphorus
Arno Rosemarin
Senior Research Fellow
Stockholm Environment Institute
Sept 15, 2011

2. (Cordell, 2009)

3. Geopolitical Imbalance
Morocco monopoly Based on data from USGS 2011

4. Prognosis for Depletion of Cheap Phosphorus
Rosemarin et al 2011 International Fertilizer Society

5. Supply Chain Losses:
From Mine to Fork
Opportunites for Flex Fees
Mining - fertilizer – agriculture – food industry – distribution – consumer – waste systems

6. Applying Flex Fees to
Agricultural Systems
Important factors
•Soil P levels
•Livestock practices
•Manure storage and use
•Tillage practices
•Cover crop protection
•Green manure use
•Buffer zones
•Drainage
•Fertilizer use map of P run off;
livestock density largest variable

7. Fee Instruments to Reduce
Phosphorus Surpluses per Unit Area
Increase yields by pest control and soil
improvement
Soil sampling to determine P requirements
Manure storage capacity
Sophisticated P application equipment
Erosion control – crop cover, low/no tillage
Low P feed and phytase additive
Manure export
Composted manure for fertiliser
Livestock density licenses
Wageningen Univ/SEI 2010

8. Fees to Promote Recycling of
Phosphorus
Tax relief on source separation
systems and waste-based inputs
Agroproduct surcharge to be used for
recycling
Use of Al or Mg instead of Fe to
precipitate P in wastewater
Renewable P fertilizer (from recovered P)
Struvite and urine production
Reuse of slaughter waste in agriculture

9. Other tax instruments
Tax on unessential uses of P-rock if
there are substitutes
Tax on P-intensive crop-based
consumption bioenergy
Tax on P-intensive meat and dairy
consumption

10. Stockholm Environment Institute
www.sei-international.org
www.ecosanres.org