Draft Code of Good Agricultural Practice for reducing Ammonia Emissions from Agriculture

The National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD), which establishes emission ceilings for 2020 and 2030 for five specified pollutants one of which is ammonia, came into force in December 2016.

The Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment (DCCAE) as lead government department have transposed this into national law. The NECD requires every member state to put in place a Code of Good Agricultural Practice for reducing Ammonia Emissions from Agriculture, and DCCAE assigned responsibility for this to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Ammonia emissions arise principally from fertiliser applications, manure applications, animal feeding strategies, animal housing and manure storage. Ireland has had a mandatory ceiling for ammonia since 2010 of 116kt, ammonia emissions must be reduced by 1% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 5% below 2005 levels from 2030 onwards.

The latest information from the EPA shows that ammonia emissions increased by 2 per cent in 2017. This trend in increasing emissions is projected to continue out to 2030.

It is vital that Ireland develops measures to address ammonia emissions. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is facilitating a public consultation process inviting written submissions from interested parties on a Draft Code of Good Agricultural Practice for reducing Ammonia Emissions from Agriculture

This Code of Good Agricultural Practice for reducing ammonia emissions is a guidance document, that outlines the best practice measures for removing or lowering ammonia emissions associated with agricultural activities. The measures outlined in the Code are voluntary measures to help farmers identify appropriate actions for their individual farm enterprise.

Measures for reducing ammonia emissions will be guided by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (2015) Framework Code for Good Agricultural Practice for Reducing Ammonia Emissions:

• nitrogen management
• feed strategies
• low emission housing
• low emission storage
• low emission spreading
• fertiliser management

All stakeholders are invited and encouraged to the review the guidance document and submit their comments. Interested organisations or individuals may submit observations via email or hard copy to the address below.

Or email: ClimateChange@agriculture.gov.ie

The guidance document is open for public consultation until 21 June 2019

Respondents should be aware that DAFM is bound by the Freedom of Information legislation and if confidential or commercially sensitive information is included in submissions it should be clearly identified. DAFM also reserves the right to publish the submissions received (subject to the redaction of clearly identified confidential or commercially sensitive information) as part of its response to this consultation.

By responding to the consultation, respondents consent to their name being published online with the submission, all other personal data will be reacted.

Data Protection Notice: All personal data processed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will take place in accordance with the law on Data Protection and will only be for the purposes connected to the functions of this Department. A list of these functions can be found on the Department’s website here.