News » Nitrogen emissions from livestock production

Article "Nitrogen emissions along global livestock supply chains" was published on 6 July 2020 in Nature Food (1/2020, p. 437-446), by A. Uwizeye, I. J. M. de Boer, C. I. Opio, R. P. O. Schulte, A. Falcucci, G. Tempio, F. Teillard, F. Casu, M. Rulli, J. N. Galloway, A. Leip, J. Willem Erisman, T. P. Robinson, H. Steinfeld, P. J. Gerber.  A study by authors from FAO, EU JRC, The World Bank and several R&D institutes shows that livestock production emits some 65 million tonnes of nitrogen per year to the environment, of which nearly half (29 MtN/y) to surface and ground waters and the remainder to the atmosphere (mainly ammonia 26 MtN/y, plus NOx and N2O). This is around 40% of anthropogenic nitrogen emissions to water, and 60% of ammonia emissions to air. Nearly all these emissions come from animal feed and fodder production and from manure management. Ruminants (mainly cattle, for beef and dairy) account for 70% of total emissions. The study identifies possible key areas for action, including: improving fertiliser management in Asia and North America (to make better use of manure), moving away from concentration of livestock production and geographical separation from fodder crop production in Europe, North America and Asia (again to enable better recycling of manure). However, it also concludes that reductions in livestock consumption and production will be necessary in parts of the world, in order to respect planetary boundaries for nitrogen, noting that this should be targeted to maintain diversified livestock production where it is integrated into nutrition and food systems.

A. Uwizeye et al. 2020. Nitrogen emissions along global livestock supply chains. Nature Food 1, pp. 437-446

Source: European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP)