A new inventory for ammonia emissions from U.K. agriculture

A new, detailed inventory for ammonia emissions from U.K. agriculture estimates losses to be 190 kt NH3-N per year. Approximately, 50% of this total, or 99 kt NH3-N per year, is attributed to cattle production. This is primarily due to the large losses measured from the land spreading of slurry and farmyard manure (FYM) (49 kt NH3-N per year), housing of cattle (27 kt NH3-N per year) and storage of “wastes” (17 kt NH3-N per year). Ammonia losses from poultry and pig production, and fertiliser applications to agricultural land were also considerable at 30, 23 and 32 kt NH3-N per year, respectively. Losses from sheep production amounted to 13 kt NH3-N per year. Examination of the contribution of differing stages of livestock production showed that land spreading of manures and livestock housing were the major sources, with estimated emissions of 71 and 59 kt NH3-N per year, respectively, equivalent to 36 and 30% of the total losses. This inventory was produced using, wherever possible, U.K. ammonia emission factors, together with latest census and statistical data for 1993. The inventory was compiled in spreadsheet form and is, therefore, easily updated as new information is made available, and could be used to test the effect of potential abatement methods on the total emission.