Does Irish dairy farming increase ammonia in the environment?

Ammonia occurs naturally in the air, water and soil and it plays an important role in plant, animal and human life. Most of the ammonia in the environment comes from the natural breakdown of manure, dead plants and animals. In relation to dairy farming, ammonia is a by-product of animal waste. During the decomposition of urine/manure, microbial action releases ammonia into the environment, causing deterioration of regional air quality, eutrophication and acidification of natural ecosystems.

As a result, annual emissions ceilings have been set for ammonia under the EU National Emissions Ceiling Directive (S.I. No. 10/2004: NECD). Meeting these ceiling obligations presents a challenge for Irish agriculture, which accounts for approximately 98 % of Ireland’s national ammonia emissions.

Extra Information:

The Carbon Navigator is a farm management tool produced by Bord Bia and Teagasc and is used by farmers to evaluate their current performance in areas of environmental impact against specific targets. One of the areas that is encouraged by the scheme is improved manure management. Dairy sustainability Ireland also provides guidance to farmers in this area. Moving slurry application from summer to spring and the use of low-emission application methods can significantly reduce ammonia emissions. Low emissions application technologies can also lead to reduced Ammonia losses and increase the fertiliser replacement value of slurry.