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Agriculture and Nature Expert PanelReport to plenum

Nick Hutchings

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Milan, 11 May 2015

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Ammonia emissions from fertilisers

• Experiences from Germany (Helmut Döhler)

• New methodologies (Nick Hutchings + J Webb)

• Current Tier 2 emission factors for urea appear too high

•Methodology under development may lead to lower emission estimates for urea but :

• will require more activity data

• may overestimate emissions from non-urea fertilisers

• Need better data

• German lead?2

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Indirect NO and N2O emissions

• Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from semi-natural ecosystems (e.g. forests) resulting from the deposition of nitrogen emitted from anthropogenic sources (e.g. agriculture, transport)

• Emission factors from agricultural land appear not to be valid for semi-natural ecosystems

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N in

pu

tN

inpu

t

EFN2O-N:0.9 %

EFNO-N:0.6 %

N in

pu

tN

inpu

t

EFN2O-N:3.7 %

EFNO-N:12.5 %

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

Indirect NO and N2O emissions

• Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from semi-natural ecosystems (e.g. forests) resulting from the deposition of nitrogen emitted from anthropogenic sources (e.g. agriculture, transport)

• Emission factors from agricultural land appear not to be valid for semi-natural ecosystems

• Semi-natural ecosystems may be major sources

• However, data are scarce, so emission factors are uncertain

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Emissions of NO from agricultural soils

• Relatively few data on NO emissions

• A Tier 3 method may or may not be possible

• Riccardo-AEA will continue to discuss the matter with NO experts

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Emissions from biogas

• Ammonia emissions from biogas facilities

• Emissions from storage of feedstocks

• Emissions from storage of digestates (but not field application)

• Riccardo-AEA and Barbara Amon

• Need to revise methodology for emissions from manure management

• Maintain the N flow principle for ammonia and NO

• Barbara and Nick

•Will benefit from German experience7

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Ammonia emission from crops

• Small emission per hectare, large uncertainty• Large number of hectares• Emissions theoretically related to N fertilisation & climate

• Few data

• Riccardo-AEA will discuss this with the modellers

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Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen Lisbon 29-30 April

• Expert Panel on Mitigation of Nitrogen• Expert Panel on Nitrogen Budgets• Expert Panel on Nitrogen and Food• Nitrogen Use Efficiency at farm scale

• May be used as an indicator by food industry & EU Commission

• Cross-panel working group to study calculation methods

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Workplan 2015-2016 Produce new methodologies for fertiliser NH3 emission

Discuss with modelling community: Crop NH3 emissions, NMVOC emissions, soil NOx emissions

Provide guidance on reporting emissions from biogas Update Guidebook to take account of revised NFR codes Continue and intensify the collaboration with TFRN

(EPMAN/EPNB) Assess need for methodologies for marine NH3 emissions and

indirect NO emissions.

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In search of a new home

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