KEEPING ammonia emissions under control and reducing them where possible is increasingly a focus for commercial poultry producers.
And ammonia management is particularly under focus in Wales, where the poultry sector’s rapid expansion has come under criticism from some quarters.
As part of efforts to improve management, a three-year European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Wales trial on two broiler farms looked specifically at the role additives may have in reducing emissions by improving gut health and flock performance.
The study produced no evidence that these were effective for this purpose – similar levels of ammonia were recorded in the control and treatment houses.
But project manager Jason Gittins, technical director for livestock at ADAS, says there are a number of other measures that farmers can put in place to tackle emissions.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a component of urea, which is excreted in poultry faeces; when that manure is exposed to air and moisture, the gas is released.
Agriculture is a significant source of ammonia, accounting for 87% of UK emissions in 2019. Of this, 14% came from poultry production.
“Ammonia gas is a harmful gas to both poultry and poultry workers, and excessive nitrogen deposition resulting from ammonia emissions also damages the environment,’’ warns Mr Gittins.
Here, he gives his advice on how poultry farmers can reduce those emissions.
Ventilation
Poorly ventilated sheds will result in wet litter, which allows more ammonia to be released into the air.
The use of effective ventilation to optimise the in-house environment, and preventing condensation can increase litter dry matter content and so reduce ammonia emissions.
