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Animal manure contributes considerably to ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Europe. Various treatment technologies have been implemented to reduce emissions and to facilitate its use as fertilizer, but a systematic analysis of these technologies has not yet been carried out. This study presents an integrated assessment of manure treatment effects on NH3, nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions from manure management chains in all countries of EU-27 in 2010 using the MITERRA-Europe model. Effects of implementing 12 treatment technologies on emissions and nutrient recovery were further explored through scenario analyses; the level of implementation corresponded to levels currently achieved by forerunner countries. Manure treatment decreased GHG emissions from manures in EU countries by 0-17% in 2010, with the largest contribution from anaerobic digestion; the effects on NH3 emissions were small. Scenario analyses indicate that increased use of slurry acidification, thermal drying, incineration and pyrolysis may decrease NH3 (9-11%) and GHG (11-18%) emissions; nitrification-denitrification treatment decreased NH3 emissions, but increased GHG emissions. The nitrogen recovery (% of nitrogen excreted in housings that is applied to land) would increase from a mean of 57% (in 2010) to 61% by acidification, but would decrease to 48% by incineration. Promoting optimized manure treatment technologies can greatly contribute to achieving NH3 and GHG emission targets set in EU environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock manures are major sources of nutrients, used for the fertilisation of cropland and grassland. Accurate estimates of the amounts of nutrients in livestock manures are required for nutrient management planning, but also for estimating nitrogen (N) budgets and emissions to the environment. Here we report on N excretion factors for a range of animal categories in policy reports by member states of the European Union ( EU). Nitrogen excretion is defined in this paper as the total amount of N excreted by livestock per year as urine and faeces. We discuss the guidelines and methodologies for the estimation of N excretion factors by the EU Nitrates Directive, the OECD/Eurostat gross N balance guidebook, the EMEP/ EEA Guidebook and the IPCC Guidelines. Our results show that N excretion factors for dairy cattle, other cattle, pigs, laying hens, broilers, sheep, and goats differ significantly between policy reports and between countries. Part of these differences may be related to differences in animal production (e.g. production of meat, milk and eggs), size/weight of the animals, and feed composition, but partly also to differences in the aggregation of livestock categories and estimation procedures. The methodologies and data used by member states are often not well described. There is a need for a common, harmonised methodology and procedure for the estimation of N excretion factors, to arrive at a common basis for the estimation of the production of manure N and N balances, and emissions of ammonia ( NH3) and nitrous oxide ( N2O) across the EU. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article Reducing external costs of nitrogen pollution by relocation of pig production between regions in the European Union, written by Hans J. M. van Grinsven, Jan D. van Dam, Jan Peter Lesschen, Marloes H. G. Timmers, Gerard L. Velthof, Luis Lassaletta, was originally published electronically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Manure management systems are conducive to nutrient and carbon losses, but the magnitude of the loss highly depends on the nutrient element, the manure management system and the environmental conditions. This paper discusses manure management systems in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU-27) and nutrient losses from these systems, with emphasis on nitrogen (N). In general, losses decrease in the order: C, N>>S>K, Na, Cl, B>P, Ca, Mg, metals. Assessments made with the integrated modeling tool MITERRA-EUROPE indicate that the total N excretion in 2000 by livestock in EU-27 was ∼10,400 kton. About 65% of the total N excretion was collected in barns and stored for some time prior to application to agricultural land. Almost 30% of the N excreted in barns was lost during storage; approximately 19% via NH3 emissions, 7% via emissions of NO, N2O and N2, and 4% via leaching and run-off. Differences between Member States in mean N losses from manure storages were large (range 19.5–35%). Another 19% of the N excreted in animal housing systems was lost via NH3 emissions following the application of the manure to land. The results indicate that maximally 52% of the N excreted in barns was effectively recycled as plant nutrient. Various emission abatement measures can be implemented and have been implemented already in some Member States to reduce the emissions of NH3 and N2O, and the leaching of N and P. There is scope to reduce NH3 emissions by ∼30% relative to the reference year 2000, although the uncertainty in estimated emissions and in the estimated effects of emission abatement measures is relatively large. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Livestock excreta is a large source of nitrogen (N) in the European Union (EU), used to fertilize crops, and also a main source of ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and nitrate (NO 3 − ) losses to the environment. The amount of N in excreta mainly depends on the animal category and productivity, and on feed use and management. National inventories of emissions to the environment are often based on different methodologies for the estimation of N excretion. Here, we present a transparent and uniform methodology for estimating annual feed use and N excretion per animal category for all countries of the EU-27, based on the energy and protein requirements of the animals and statistics of feed use and composition, animal number and productivity. The calculated total feed use in the EU-27 was 506 Tg dry mass in 2010. Dairy cows used 29%, other cattle 34%, pigs 17%, chicken 9%, sheep and goats 8%, and other animal categories 3% of the total feed use. Grass and annual forages were mainly used by dairy cows (30 and 49%, respectively) and other cattle (55 and 44%); pigs used most of the feed cereals (53%); protein-rich feed (e.g., soybean meal) were mostly used by pigs (34%) and chicken (24%). Differences between countries in feed use were large, mainly related to variations in national feed supply and animal productivity. Total N excretion of the animals amounted to 9.7 Tg in 2010, and varied between countries from 14 to 291 kg ha −1 of utilized agricultural land. The present study provides a uniform and transparent approach for evaluating feed use and N excretion in all countries of the EU-27. Our results underline the significant differences in N excretions between EU countries as a result of feed use variations, suggesting the need for basing N excretion estimations on feed use data. The dataset present in this study may serve as a basis for such efforts, also to improve national inventories of N emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]