The NPA has highlighted progress made by the pig sector in reducing emissions, after Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and Sustain released an interactive ‘Ammonia Map’ they said indicates emissions from ‘industrial pig and poultry units’.
The NPA also questioned the basis of the data used in the map and highlighted the strict emissions controls governing pig production.
CIWF and Sustain said the ‘Ammonia Map’ shows the areas with the highest emissions correspond with the highest concentrations of large scale intensive farms, raising ‘major concerns about air quality, the wider public health impact of industrial farming and damage to nearby ecosystems’.
“The map reveals clear pollution hotspots across the UK, with the most severe concentrations clustered in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk. These regions share one thing in common: a high density of intensive poultry and pig units that are driving dangerous levels of ammonia,” they said.
According to the Guardian, calculations were derived from permitted stocking numbers and average ammonia production factors for different categories of livestock, such as broiler chickens, indoor eggs, and pigs.
CIWF and Sustain cited figures showing livestock production and fertiliser use account for more than 80% of global ammonia emissions, while in the UK, agriculture is responsible for 89% of national emissions. In a report, they claim that ammonia pollution is not an isolated agricultural issue ‘but a systemic challenge that directly affects animals, people and the planet’.
Anthony Field, head of CIWF UK, said: “The spread of industrial factory farming must stop. Factory farming sits at the heart of the UK’s ammonia crisis. By cramming large numbers of animals into confined spaces and relying heavily on fertilisers, these intensive systems release far more ammonia than the environment or our bodies can cope with.”
Dr Amir Khan, TV doctor and CIWF’s patron, said ‘ammonia from intensive farming is a major, yet often overlooked, part’ of the UK’s air pollution problem.
CIWF and Sustain called for ‘an end to the expansion of factory farming, and for the government to support British farmers to produce more healthy food’.
Industry response
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson acknowledged that the pig sector of ‘has a responsibility to ensure its impact on air quality is as limited as possible’.
But she said the NPA would question how the data for the ammonia map was derived and what it includes, given that it ‘doesn’t appear to directly correspond with the type of production the report claims’.
“The pig sector is, by way of various environmental legislation, including environmental permitting, one of the most highly regulated sectors within agriculture and as such, it specifically only accounts for 8% of total UK ammonia emissions,” she said.
Recent robust trials, led by AHDB – crucially, of actual and not average emissions – have been accepted by the Environment Agency to show an average reduction of 50% over 10 years across various housing types.
Mrs Wilson added: “According to Defra, ‘the fall in emissions from livestock other than cattle, especially from the pig and poultry sectors, is the main driver in the gradual fall of overall ammonia emissions since 1990. This can be partly explained by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act (1999) making all new intensive pig and poultry installations subject to ammonia controls through permitting.
“The UK is only approximately 60% self-sufficient in pigmeat with a significant proportion imported from countries with lower animal welfare and environmental/sustainability standards in comparison. We have continued to improve our efficiency and therefore our carbon footprint by producing greater quantities of pigmeat from a declining national sow herd to meet the demand of a growing population.
“We will continue to engage with government on emissions and ensure, as always, we are fulfilling our responsibilities regarding our sector impact on air quality and the wider environment.”
Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, also pointed to the ‘strict and robust’ regulation controlling emissions in the UK poultrymeat sector, according to Farmers Weekly .
“CIWF’s renewed attack on livestock farming is yet another concocted outrage based on their dislike of what we do,” he said.
“The fact is the poultry sector is working hard to enhance its sustainability while feeding the nation with safe, nutritious, and affordable products enjoyed by the majority of consumers.”