The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has blamed a “growth in agricultural activity” primarily driven by higher livestock numbers and fertiliser use for an increase in ammonia emissions in Ireland in 2021.
In a new report published today (Wednesday, May 24) the EPA said that ammonia emissions increased by 1% in 2021 and warned that Ireland is “non-compliant” with its EU emissions reduction commitment in 2021 for ammonia.
The agency said that the growth in livestock numbers, including a 3% increase in dairy cow numbers in 2021, “led to an increase in total national ammonia emissions”.
“Increased use of low emission slurry spreading (LESS) to 48% was not sufficient to counteract the impact of the overall growth in livestock numbers,” the EPA stated.
The agency has also stressed that compliance with Ireland’s 2030 reduction commitment will only be possible “with full implementation of all identified measures such as LESS and widespread use of inhibited urea fertiliser products”.
The EPA today published its 2021 assessment of “five key air pollutants” which impact air quality, health and the environment.
These included:
- Ammonia;
- Non-methane volatile organic compounds;
- Sulphur dioxide;
- Nitrogen oxides;
- Fine particulate matter.
According to the agency Ireland has not complied with EU national emission reduction commitments for nine out of the past 10 years for ammonia emissions.
It has warned that these emissions “cause significant environmental damage to valuable ecosystems and can also impact local air quality and human health”.
Dr. Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment said:
“The EPA’s assessment shows that the impact of good practices that are currently being implemented at the farm level, such as LESS and the use of protected urea, are not enough to counteract the impact of increased livestock numbers and fertiliser use.”
The latest agency report also highlighted that the use of coal and fuel oil in power generation trebled in 2021 which also lead to increases in emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and sulphur dioxide, which it said showed “the direct link between fossil fuel use and air pollutant emissions”.
However, according to the EPA, Ireland was compliant in 2021 with EU emissions reduction commitments for the other key air pollutants including non-methane volatile organic compounds, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter