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

Investment in new buildings is solution to air quality challenge

Alistair DriverBy Alistair DriverAugust 21, 20183 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

The key to reducing ammonia emissions and improving air quality on pig farms is to promote investment in newer, more efficient buildings, according to the NPA.

That was the core message in the association’s response to Defra’s consultation on its Clean Air Strategy. The consultation, which reached across the economy, made a number of recommendations for agriculture, including developing a national code of good agricultural practice to reduce ammonia emissions and regulating to reduce ammonia emissions from farming. The document also proposed to support farmers in various to reduce emissions.

In its response, the NPA welcomed the proposed package of actions, specifically provision of support to facilitate investment in farm infrastructure and equipment to reduce emissions and the continued work to ensure the ammonia inventory reflects existing farm practice and the latest evidence on emissions.

You can read the NPA’s response here

“When considering air quality and ammonia in particular; indoor environmentally controlled pig buildings are able to deliver reduced losses, not only through diet formulation, but also ventilation, including scrubbers and bio filters, slurry cooling and/or acidification, slurry storage and manure spreading techniques,” the NPA response stated.

“Furthermore, some are environmentally permitted and have to apply production systems and techniques which are proven to reduce emissions of ammonia to the atmosphere. These are detailed in the European Commission’s Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference document (BREF)1 which describes management practices, housing systems and techniques that minimise emissions and environmental impact.

“These have to be employed when planning new pig housing and slurry storage facilities on permitted installations. The challenge of improving air quality and mitigating climate change is best met by modern indoor environmentally controlled buildings, good practice and advances in efficiency and technology.”

Improve productivity

To improve environmental efficiency and mitigate climate change, the industry must improve its productivity and continue to control and reduce our emissions wherever possible, the document added.

But one of the key barriers to further improving productivity and health and welfare on farms is the continued use of old animal housing for modern methods of husbandry and animal genetics. A 2012 survey showed the average age of pig accommodation in use at that time in England was 21-22 years, while more than half were over 20 years old.

The response included a case study showing how modern pig buildings or improvements to existing sites have dramatically improved performance on farm.

It also outlined the NPA’s support for measures that will help incentivise investment in new buildings such as loan schemes or via tax incentives and noted that other countries have, in the past, offered grant funding towards new buildings that meet certain criteria relating to emissions or energy efficiency.

NPA policy services officer Lizzie Wilson, who put the NPA response together, said: “The overarching message is that newer more efficient buildings and infrastructure will have the biggest impact on our environmental efficiency and ammonia emissions, and similarly our efficiency of production, enabling us to produce more from less and further helping to reduce emissions.”

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticlePoor summer demand steadies
Next Article Third case of African swine fever detected in China
Alistair Driver

Editor Pig World, group editor Agronomist and Arable Farmer and Farm Contractor. National Pig Association webmaster. Former political editor at Farmers Guardian. Occasional media pundit. Brought up on a Leicestershire farm. Works from a shed in his Oxfordshire garden.

Read Similar Stories

Cranswick ‘disappointed’ after Environment Agency rejects permit for proposed Norfolk development

September 4, 2025

Nearly 50,000 pigs culled after African swine fever outbreaks in Latvia and Estonia

September 4, 2025

Scotland’s PRRS project to receive further government funding

September 4, 2025
Latest News

Cranswick ‘disappointed’ after Environment Agency rejects permit for proposed Norfolk development

September 4, 2025

Nearly 50,000 pigs culled after African swine fever outbreaks in Latvia and Estonia

September 4, 2025

Scotland’s PRRS project to receive further government funding

September 4, 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 1774 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1773 Aberdeenshire

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

    • Aberdeenshire
    • 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.