Ammonia Pollution Hotspots Identified in UK Intensive Farming Regions
New research has uncovered ammonia pollution hotspots in areas of the UK with the highest concentrations of intensive pig and poultry farms. A detailed map, published for the first time, reveals that the most severe clusters of ammonia emissions are located in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, and Norfolk. These regions are known for their high density of industrial livestock units, which researchers from Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and Sustain attribute to driving dangerous levels of ammonia pollution.
Health and Environmental Impacts of Ammonia Emissions
Ammonia emissions pose significant risks to human health and the environment. In the UK, agriculture accounts for 89% of national emissions of this nitrogen-based gas, primarily from livestock manure and fertiliser production. According to a report by CiWF, industrial intensive animal farming exacerbates the environmental and health burdens associated with ammonia. Once released into the air, ammonia reacts with other pollutants to form particulate matter, specifically PM2.5, which is considered one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution.
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) estimated that human-made PM2.5 exposure was responsible for between 28,861 and 29,000 premature deaths in the UK in 2010. Modelling studies indicate that reducing agricultural emissions could significantly lower mortality rates. Dr Amir Khan, a GP and patron of CiWF, emphasised the health toll, stating, "As a GP, I see first-hand the toll that air pollution takes on people’s health – and ammonia from intensive farming is a major, yet often overlooked, part of that problem." He highlighted that fine particulate matter from ammonia exposure contributes to heart disease, stroke, asthma, and chronic lung conditions, disproportionately affecting vulnerable patients.
Environmental Consequences and Local Opposition
Beyond health concerns, excess nitrogen from ammonia deposition acidifies soils and pollutes rivers. In Shropshire, campaigners recently blocked permission for a poultry megafarm by arguing that the council failed to consider all environmental impacts of an industrial unit housing 230,000 chickens. The rise in large intensive poultry units (IPUs) in the valleys of the Rivers Wye and Severn has been identified as a key cause of river pollution, as chicken droppings contain high levels of phosphates that starve fish and river plants of oxygen.
This research emerges as the government attempts to rewrite planning rules to facilitate the construction of intensive livestock farms, despite ongoing concerns about water pollution, air quality, and local opposition. The map, based on estimations of ammonia produced by industrial livestock units, uses calculations derived from permitted stocking numbers and average ammonia production factors for different livestock categories, such as broiler chickens, indoor eggs, and pigs.
Personal Accounts and Calls for Action
Residents living near these facilities report severe health impacts. Michele Franks, who resides near a poultry megafarm in Lincolnshire, described how emissions during shed clean-outs force her indoors, causing chest tightness, eye irritation, and breathing difficulties for up to five days. "When the chicken sheds are cleaned out, the smell and the polluted air hits me straight away – my chest tightens, my eyes sting, and I have to shut every window in my house just to cope," she said. "I’m asthmatic, and for days I can’t even step into my own garden. They say escape to the country for cleaner air but no one should have to live sandwiched between industrial units that make them gasp for breath."
In response, CiWF and Sustain are advocating for an end to the expansion of factory farming. Anthony Field, head of Compassion in World Farming UK, stated, "Factory farming sits at the heart of the UK’s ammonia crisis. By cramming large numbers of animals into confined spaces and relying heavily on fertilisers, these intensive systems release far more ammonia than the environment or our bodies can cope with. The result is a cascade of harm – to the animals living in these conditions, to the people breathing the polluted air, and to the ecosystems absorbing the excess nitrogen."
The findings underscore the urgent need for policy interventions to address the dual threats of ammonia pollution from intensive agriculture, balancing agricultural productivity with public health and environmental sustainability.
