Spreading machinery demonstration in Plouarzel (Brittany, France).
A clearer picture of ammonia emissions Ammonia emitted into ambient air can interact with other pollutants, leading to the formation of particulate matter, which is a major threat to public health. The team behind the LIFE ABAA project are working with farmers in Brittany to reduce ammonia emissions and improve air quality, as Meryll le Quilleuc, Léna Oddos and Nicolas Moreau explain. The French government has set a target of reducing ammonia emissions by 13 percent by 2030, part of the wider goal of limiting pollution and improving air quality. The agricultural sector accounts for around 95 percent of overall ammonia (NH3) emissions in France, and 99 percent in Brittany, so has a major part to play in meeting this goal. “Ammonia is emitted during several different types of agricultural work. For example, when a building containing animal faeces is cleaned, ammonia is emitted. If slurry-spreading practices facilitate the interaction of air and animal faeces, it can also lead to the emission of a lot of ammonia,” explains Léna Oddos, Soil Management and Fertilization Research Officer at the Regional Chamber of Agriculture in Brittany. Certain agricultural practices are known to limit ammonia emissions, such as low-emission techniques for spreading farm manure, but they are not yet widely used in the sector, an issue central to Oddos’s work in the EC-backed LIFE ABAA project. “We are trying to understand why these practices aren’t widely used in the agricultural sector, and how we can encourage their wider adoption,” she outlines. One of the main factors currently limiting adoption is the cost of nationally recommended practices, while their perceived complexity can also deter some farmers. While some practices may seem complex to those unfamiliar with them, Oddos says that sharing knowledge amongst
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farmers can encourage them to change their working methods and help reduce ammonia emissions. “When farmers have been properly trained, and can exchange knowledge with other farmers that have been able to put these practices in place at their farms, they may become more comfortable with them,” she outlines. Relatively simple changes like optimising cattle feed, spreading manure in a way that minimises contact with air, or incorporating fertilizer immediately into the soil when it is applied, can all have a significant impact on ammonia emissions. “We want to raise awareness amongst farmers and train them, to make it easier for them to then implement these kinds of practices,” outlines Oddos.
Air quality The LIFE ABAA project brings together the Regional Chamber of Agriculture with Air Breizh, a not-for profit organisation responsible for monitoring air quality in Brittany. Ammonia emissions are a major concern in this respect, as while ammonia itself is not toxic at the concentration levels typically found in ambient air, it does interact with other pollutants when released into the atmosphere. “These interactions may then lead to the development of other pollutants, such as particulate matter, which is a major threat to public health,” explains Meryll le Quilleuc, part of the team at Air Breizh. The project aims to help address this issue by encouraging farmers to change their
Slurry spreading before the sowing of maize with a low emission arable tine injector.
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