eprintid: 56647 rev_number: 90 eprint_status: archive userid: 49966 dir: disk0/00/05/66/47 datestamp: 2026-01-22 15:14:15 lastmod: 2026-02-19 12:12:22 status_changed: 2026-01-22 15:14:15 type: journalp metadata_visibility: show doclang: en projects: Ireland-Teagasc projects: Spain-Valencia-Uni projects: bolk projects: ch-agroscope projects: ch-ethz projects: ch-fibl-grassland-based-livestock-systems projects: ch-fibl-nutrient-management projects: ch-uni-bern projects: de-atb-bornim projects: dk-au-st-agroecology projects: fr-INRAe projects: fr-cirad projects: fr-other projects: it-other projects: it-uni-milano projects: it-uni-torino projects: uk-other projects: uni-hohenheim projects: wau projects: zother4 refereed: yes budget: 0 docurl: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/pii/S0065211325000185 publicfulltext: FALSE creators_name: Epper, Carole A. creators_name: Zavattaro, Laura creators_name: Velhof, Gerard L. creators_name: Thuriès, Laurent creators_name: Steinsberger, Thomas creators_name: Sorensen, Peter creators_name: Richards, Karl creators_name: Oberson, Astrid creators_name: Möller, Kurt creators_name: Merbold, Lutz creators_name: Menzi, Harald creators_name: Liebisch, Frank creators_name: Levavasseur, Florent creators_name: Leiber, Florian creators_name: Kupper, Thomas creators_name: Krol, Dominika creators_name: Janke, David creators_name: Hofmeier, Maximilian creators_name: Hoekstra, Nyncke J. creators_name: Guillaume, Thomas creators_name: Gilgen, Anina creators_name: Ghiasi, Shiva creators_name: Frick, Hanna creators_name: Dragoni, Frederico creators_name: Diaz de Otalora, Xabier creators_name: Chadwick, David R. creators_name: Cavalli, Daniele creators_name: Bretscher, Daniel creators_name: Bischoff, Wolf-Anno creators_name: Bechini, Luca creators_name: Argento, Francesco creators_name: Amon, Barbara creators_name: Ammann, Christof creators_name: Mayer, Jochen creators_id: kurt.moeller@uni-hohenheim.de creators_id: daniele.cavalli@crea.gov.it creators_orcid: 0000-0002-3735-4051 title: Optimizing nitrogen use efficiency in European livestock systems: From feed to plant growth ispublished: pub subjects: 3compost subjects: 3feeding subjects: 4nutrient keywords: plant growth, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen loss reduction, manure management, feeding strategies, Abacus, FiBL50064 abstract: Nitrogen (N) is a crucial nutrient for agriculture. Its unlimited provision by the Haber-Bosch process has led to high N surplus in agriculture, causing severe negative environmental externalities. The reduction of N losses in livestock systems and consequent enhancement of their nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) represents a key lever to substantially reduce the N surplus to meet European environmental policy targets. This review evaluates the potentials to improve the NUE of European cattle and pig livestock systems from feed to plant N use along the whole livestock system cascade. It discusses options to improve feed NUE and the current measures to reduce N losses at housing, manure storage and application as well as crop N recovery. The findings are synthesized at the overall livestock system level using exemplary case-study farms from selected European regions, to highlight potentials for livestock system NUE improvements in the context of the current and future European legislations. All case- study farms have already implemented measures for N loss mitigation, and their livestock system NUE reaches values between 55 % and 75 %. With the implementation of additional measures such as liquid manure acidification, low emission technologies and best field management, livestock system NUE can reach values between 75 % and 85 %. In order to achieve such high livestock system NUE and meet environmental goals, a scaled implementation of best available technologies is essential, and has to go hand in hand with a legislative harmonization and a targeted development of additional reduction measures and auxiliary tools for farmers. 274 Carole A. Epper et al date: 2025 date_type: published publication: Advances in Agronomy volume: 191 full_text_status: restricted pagerange: 273-358 id_number: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2025.01.003 contact_email: info.suisse@fibl.org conf_subm: not_subm voa3r_agrovoc_lang: en voa3r_agrovoc_lang: en voa3r_agrovoc_lang: en voa3r_agrovoc_value_string: nitrogen use efficiency -> nitrogen-use efficiency voa3r_agrovoc_value_string: nitrogen fertilizers voa3r_agrovoc_value_uri: http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_fd20296f voa3r_agrovoc_value_uri: http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5195 fp7_project: no access_rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess citation: Epper, Carole A.; Zavattaro, Laura; Velhof, Gerard L.; Thuriès, Laurent; Steinsberger, Thomas; Sorensen, Peter; Richards, Karl; Oberson, Astrid; Möller, Kurt; Merbold, Lutz; Menzi, Harald; Liebisch, Frank; Levavasseur, Florent; Leiber, Florian; Kupper, Thomas; Krol, Dominika; Janke, David; Hofmeier, Maximilian; Hoekstra, Nyncke J.; Guillaume, Thomas; Gilgen, Anina; Ghiasi, Shiva; Frick, Hanna; Dragoni, Frederico; Diaz de Otalora, Xabier; Chadwick, David R.; Cavalli, Daniele; Bretscher, Daniel; Bischoff, Wolf-Anno; Bechini, Luca; Argento, Francesco; Amon, Barbara; Ammann, Christof and Mayer, Jochen (2025) Optimizing nitrogen use efficiency in European livestock systems: From feed to plant growth. Advances in Agronomy, 191, pp. 273-358. document_url: /id/eprint/56647/1/Epper%20et%20al.%20%282025%29_NUE%20Livestock%20Systems_Adv%20Agron_50064.pdf