A NEW INVENTORY FOR AMMONIA EMISSIONS FROM UK AGRICULTURE

A new, detailed inventory for ammonia emissions from U.K. agriculture estimates losses to be 190 kt NH3-N per year. Approximately, 50% of th is total, or 99 kt NH3-N per year, is attributed to cattle production. This is primarily due to the large losses measured from the land spre ading of slurry and farmyard manure (FYM) (49 kt NH3-N per year), hous ing of cattle (27 kt NH3-N per year) and storage of ''wastes'' (17 kt NH3-N per year). Ammonia losses from poultry and pig production, and f ertiliser applications to agricultural land were also considerable at 30, 23 and 32 kt NH3-N per year, respectively. Losses from sheep produ ction amounted to 13 kt NH3-N per year. Examination of the contributio n of differing stages of livestock production showed that land spreadi ng of manures and livestock housing were the major sources, with estim ated emissions of 71 and 59 kt NH3-N per year, respectively, equivalen t to 36 and 30% of the total losses. This inventory was produced using , wherever possible, U.K, ammonia emission factors, together with late st census and statistical data for 1993. The inventory was compiled in spreadsheet form and is, therefore, easily updated as new information is made available, and could be used to test the effect elf potential abatement methods on the total emission. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Lt d. All rights reserved.