Belgium bets on 'cow toilets' to flush out farm pollution

Belgium’s Flanders region is betting on a “cow toilet” to help tackle pollution linked to livestock waste.

The Flemish government has notified the European Commission that it has drafted a law to include a potty-inspired Dutch invention among the approved solutions to reduce ammonia emissions from stables.

Ammonia is particularly harmful to aquatic ecosystems, as excess nitrogen leads to a phenomenon known as eutrophication, which reduces water quality, harms biodiversity, and has toxic effects.

Agriculture is the main source of 93% of EU ammonia emissions, according to the European Environment Agency – particularly from livestock housing, manure handling, and the application of fertilisers to fields.

With the “cow toilet,” invented by Dutch agri-tech company Hanskamp, the animals are gently massaged to stimulate urination. The urine is then collected before it comes into contact with solid manure, preventing its conversion into ammonia, according to the draft legislation.

“An attractant such as concentrated feed stimulates the cow to visit the urine collection station,” the text reads.

The Flemish draft outlines the requirements for using the “toilet” inside a stable and estimates an overall ammonia emissions reduction of 35%. The Netherlands approved this solution in April to curb pollution from livestock farms.

Both Flanders and the Netherlands are grappling with excess manure and nitrate pollution due to high livestock densities, with the latter even reaching a deadlock over environmental permits for farming and housing projects.

Recently, the EU approved a proposal to relax rules on manure-based fertilisers – a long-standing demand of Dutch farmers.

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Wageningen University, and the CowToilet’s creators are also part of a pilot project investigating how collected urine can be repurposed as a fertiliser substitute.

(adm, cm)