Its first investigation in NI was sparked by complaints from members of the public
The UK’s environment watchdog has launched its first case in Northern Ireland over a Stormont Department’s guidance to planners on ammonia emissions.
NI’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs oversees the ‘Operational Protocol’ provided to planning authorities and applicants seeking planning permission for livestock developments like pig and chicken houses, cattle sheds and central anaerobic digesters.
Ammonia, which is harmful to biodiversity, the environment and people’s health, largely comes from livestock manure and levels have risen an “unsustainable” 19% from 2009 to 2019 according to OEP CEO Natalie Prosser.
Read more: NI environment bosses failing own targets at 40% of ‘protected’ sites
Northern Ireland is responsible for 12% of UK ammonia emissions, despite only having 3% of UK population and 6% of the land area. DAERA say 97% of NI ammonia emissions come from agricultre.
Cattle are responsible for around 62% of these emission, the poultry sector 14%, pigs produce 8.7 % of NI agri-emissions with 8.3% coming from fertiliser and sheep are responsible for 0.8% with the spreading of digestate to land accounting for 4.1%.
Ammonia emissions are estimated to have caused “45% of the plant species extinctions occurring in the UK, between 1987 and 1999” in grasslands, heathlands, bogs and dune systems.
Planning authorities are responsible for carrying out assessments under the Habitats Regulations to ensure planning decisions take into account the environmental impacts of ammonia-emitting developments.
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DAERA itself says “excessive nitrogen deposition can lead to significant biodiversity loss through loss of plant species and changes in ecosystem structure and function” and their own NI Environmental Statistics Report show they arefailing their own targets on 40% of protected habitats.