Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • September 2025
    • August 2025
    • 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. September 2025
    2. August 2025
    3. 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    4. July 2025
    5. June 2025
    6. 2025 Innovation supplement
    7. May 2025
    8. April 2025
    9. March 2025
    10. 2025 Buildings supplement
    11. February 2025
    12. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    13. January 2025
    14. December 2024
    15. November 2024
    16. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    17. October 2024
    18. September 2024
    19. August 2024
    20. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    21. July 2024
    22. June 2024
    23. 2024 Innovation supplement
    24. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    25. May 2024
    26. April 2024
    27. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    28. March 2024
    29. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    30. February 2024
    31. January 2024
    32. December 2023
    33. November 2023
    34. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    35. October 2023
    36. September 2023
    37. Health Supplement
    Featured

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025
    Recent

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025

    August 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    August 1, 2025

    2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement now available

    August 1, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Environment

Ulster pig farmers frustrated by environmental block on expansion

PW ReportersBy PW ReportersDecember 17, 20153 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Environmental restrictions on planning proposals in Northern Ireland (NI) are “significantly hampering” pig sector growth according to the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU).

UFU officials recently met the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to discuss pig farmers’ frustrations over the issue, pointing out that since 2006, NIEA has only permitted 14 IPPC standard pig units (more than 750 sows or 2000 finishing pigs) to be constructed.

“This rate of approval is significantly hampering the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth target of a 40% increase in the national sow herd to 52,000 sows by 2020,” said the union.

The response from NIEA stressed that there is a “widespread biodiversity problem throughout NI that has occurred as a result of nitrogen deposition from ammonia”. It seems that, while ammonia levels have been falling elsewhere in the UK, atmospheric monitoring in NI has shown that local levels are increasing.

As such, according to NIEA, a significant proportion of new planning applications in NI fall within the radius of a designated site or priority habitat. In light of this, the current working position of NIEA is to only accept applications that produce less than 10% of the annual critical level of ammonia for any designated site that could be impacted.

NIEA went on to list a number of “appropriate actions” to mitigate against the impacts of ammonia which farmers might take in order to expand production. These included investing in fans, chimney stacks, bio-filters, air scrubbers, abatement systems, diet alterations or anaerobic digestion.

Given that such an “abatement system” may cost in excess of £250,000, UFU replied that, against a backdrop of ever reducing farm margins, it was “unlikely” the average NI pig farmer will be able to afford such measures.

“If NI’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Department of Environment are serious in their backing of the industry’s target for a 40% growth, whilst safeguarding the environment, they must establish a more pragmatic approval system that considers the wider environmental impacts of these modern production facilities,” said UFU.

The union also suggested that local policy makers needed to follow the example of other EU member states, such as Denmark, where €20 million (£14.5m) has been made available to fund an environment technology scheme, specifically to finance abatement techniques.

“Such an approach would ensure that pig farmers in NI can modernise their businesses and improve the local environmental situation whilst allowing farmers to continue to expand to meet the needs of the global market,” said UFU.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleBoehringer Ingelheim buys Merial from Sanofi
Next Article Sussex farmer takes Copa-Cogeca lead on animal health
PW Reporters

Read Similar Stories

Wildlife Trusts report ‘lacks context and hard evidence of pig sector environmental damage’ – NPA chief exec

September 2, 2025

Farmers urged by the Environment Agency to start preparations for winter slurry storage

July 30, 2025

NI NAP proposals could cost agri-food sector more than £1.5bn, research shows

July 23, 2025
Latest News

Farm assurance debate: An important change driven by the supply chain

September 3, 2025

Farm assurance debate: A commitment to welfare excellence

September 3, 2025

Spotlight on UK pig sector’s biggest threat

September 2, 2025
Sponsored Content

Enhancing Weaned Pig Health and Performance with Zinc and Iron

August 1, 2025

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1773 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Senior Pig Stockperson – Ref 1772 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Senior Pig Stockperson – Ref 1771 Australia

    • Queensland, Australia
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.