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The Cost of Reducing Ammonia from Agriculture: Farm‐gate Estimates and Policy Considerations

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  • Aurelia Samuel
  • Erin Sherry
  • Tom Misselbrook
  • John McIlroy

Abstract

Ammonia has been identified as one of the major air pollutants threatening human health and the natural environment, with agriculture being the dominant source of ammonia (NH3) emissions. To comply with international agreements and national targets to improve air quality, Northern Ireland (NI) needs to reduce ammonia emissions. Therefore, changes in management and investment in technology to improve the environmental sustainability of the food system will be necessary. More importantly, there is a need to reduce emissions in an economically efficient manner and prioritise measures that are cost‐effective to adopt. This article employs the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) approach to provide insights into decision‐making on the most cost‐effective strategy for reducing ammonia emissions in NI. This article presents five low‐cost measures for livestock production systems: diets, housing, manure storage, application of manure to the land, and the use of urease inhibitors with urea‐based fertilisers. Results of a Marginal Abatement Cost Curve analysis indicate that the adoption of all five measures gives an overall reduction of 6.5 kilotonnes (21 per cent) of ammonia, at a total cost of £6.6 million per annum compared to business‐as‐usual ammonia emissions and holding livestock numbers constant. L'ammoniac a été identifié comme l'un des principaux polluants atmosphériques menaçant la santé humaine et l'environnement naturel, l'agriculture étant la principale source d'émissions d'ammoniac (NH3). Pour se conformer aux accords internationaux et aux objectifs nationaux d'amélioration de la qualité de l'air, l'Irlande du Nord doit réduire ses émissions d'ammoniac. Par conséquent, il faudra modifier les pratiques et investir dans la technologie pour améliorer la durabilité environnementale du système alimentaire. Plus important encore, il faut réduire les émissions d'une manière économiquement efficace et de prioriser l’adoption des mesures à l’efficacité‐coût la plus élevée. Cet article utilise l'approche de la courbe des coûts marginaux de réduction (Marginal Abatement Cost Curve, MACC) pour fournir des informations d’aide à la prise de décision sur la stratégie la plus efficace par rapport au coût pour réduire les émissions d'ammoniac en Irlande du Nord. Cet article présente cinq mesures à faible coût pour les systèmes de production animale : les régimes alimentaires, le logement, le stockage des effluents d’élevage, l'épandage de ces effluents sur les sols et l'utilisation d'inhibiteurs d'uréase avec des engrais à base d'urée. Les résultats d'une analyse de la courbe des coûts marginaux de réduction indiquent que l'adoption des cinq mesures entraîne une réduction globale de 6.5 kilotonnes (21 pour cent) d'ammoniac, pour un coût total de 6.6 millions de livres sterling par an par rapport aux émissions d'ammoniac habituelles et ce en maintenant le cheptel constant. Ammoniak ist einer der zentralen Luftschadstoffe, der die menschliche Gesundheit und die natürliche Umwelt bedroht, wobei die Landwirtschaft die wichtigste Quelle für Ammoniakemissionen (NH3) ist. Um die internationalen Vereinbarungen und nationalen Ziele zur Verbesserung der Luftqualität erfüllen zu können, muss Nordirland (NI) die Ammoniakemissionen reduzieren. Aus diesem Grund sind Änderungen im Management und Investitionen in Technologien erforderlich, um die ökologische Nachhaltigkeit des Nahrungsmittelsektors zu verbessern. Wichtiger ist aber noch die Notwendigkeit, die Emissionen auf wirtschaftlich rentable Weise zu reduzieren und dabei kosteneffizienten Maßnahmen den Vorrang zu geben. In diesem Beitrag verwenden wir den Ansatz der Grenzkostenkurve der Emissionsminderung (Marginal Abatement Cost Curve, MACC), um Einblicke in die Entscheidungsfindung in Bezug auf die kosteneffizienteste Strategie zur Reduzierung der Ammoniakemissionen in NI zu geben. Darüber hinaus stellen wir fünf kostengünstige Maßnahmen im Bereich der Tierhaltung vor: Fütterung, Haltungssystem, Güllelagerung, Gülleausbringung und Einsatz von Ureasehemmern in Verbindung mit harnstoffbasierten Düngemitteln. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zur Grenzkostenkurve der Emissionsminderung zeigen, dass die Einführung aller fünf Maßnahmen zu einer Gesamtreduzierung von 6,5 Kilotonnen (21 per cent) Ammoniak führen würde. Die Gesamtkosten hierfür würden 6,6 Millionen Pfund pro Jahr im Vergleich zu unveränderten Ammoniakemissionen und gleichbleibendem Nutztierbestand betragen.

Suggested Citation

  • Aurelia Samuel & Erin Sherry & Tom Misselbrook & John McIlroy, 2021. "The Cost of Reducing Ammonia from Agriculture: Farm‐gate Estimates and Policy Considerations," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 20(3), pages 34-41, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:eurcho:v:20:y:2021:i:3:p:34-41
    DOI: 10.1111/1746-692X.12331
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dominic Moran & Michael Macleod & Eileen Wall & Vera Eory & Alistair McVittie & Andrew Barnes & Robert Rees & Cairistiona F. E. Topp & Andrew Moxey, 2011. "Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for UK Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(1), pages 93-118, February.
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    1. Greig, Alastair & McIlory, John, 2024. "Assessing new technologies for ammonia abatement in Northern Ireland," 23rd Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2022 345320, International Farm Management Association.

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