Ireland was compliant with its EU emissions reduction targets for the five major pollutants of air in 2024, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Ammonia, non-methane volatile organic compounds, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter all stayed within their limits for the year.
The EPA stated that the farm sector is responsible for over 99% of the country’s ammonia emissions, with these emissions resulting from some of the nitrogen on land spread in either chemical fertilisers or slurry being lost to the air.
The state managed to stay within its EU ammonia limit in 2024 despite a 0.5% increase in ammonia emissions relative to the previous year.
Ammonia reduction targets are set relative to a 2005 baseline, with the state committed to cut ammonia emissions by 1% from 2020-2029 and 5% by 2030.
2024’s emissions value of 117,400t represents a reduction of 5.1% compared with this 2005 baseline.
Fertilisers and LESS
Higher levels of chemical fertiliser usage in 2024 drove a 22% rise in ammonia emissions associated with fertilisers, which accounted for around one-sixth of total national ammonia emissions.
The growing share of slurry going out with low emissions slurry spreading (LESS) methods helped to offset the impact of this chemical fertiliser ammonia increase.
2024 had seen 70% of all cattle slurry applied with LESS, up from 64% in 2023.
Ammonia emissions from dairy cattle dropped 1.4% while the emissions from other cattle fell by 3.5% on foot of lower cattle numbers.
The EPA said that dairy cattle represent 13% of the country’s ammonia emissions and other cattle account for around a quarter.
Trends
Ireland had been in compliance with ammonia reduction targets from 2006-2015, but entered a window of non-compliance between 2016 and 2021 due to increased cattle numbers and higher levels of fertiliser use.
2024’s compliance came after 2023 saw ammonia emissions fall below 2015’s levels for the first year since milk quota abolition.
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