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The United Kingdom (UK) has a decarbonisation strategy that includes energy from both hydrogen and biomethane. The latter comes from the growing anaerobic digestion (AD) market, which in 2020 produced 23.3 TWh of energy in the form of biogas. According to the strategy, this must be upgraded to biomethane by removal of carbon dioxide (CO2): a goal that could also be fulfilled through CO2 biomethanisation, alleviating the need for carbon capture and storage. Results are presented from a survey of publicly available datasets coupled with modelling to identify potential scale and knowledge gaps. Literature data were used to estimate maximum biomethane concentrations by feedstock type: these ranged from 79% for food wastes to 93% for livestock manures. Data from various government sources were used to estimate the overall potential for CO2 biomethanisation with current AD infrastructure. Values for the uplift in biomethane production ranged from 57% to 61%, but the need for more consistent data collection methodologies was highlighted. On average, however, if CO2 biomethanisation was applied in all currently operating UK AD plants an energy production uplift of 12,954 GWh could be achieved based on 2020 figures. This is sufficient to justify the inclusion of CO2 biomethanisation in decarbonisation strategies, in the UK and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increased interest in the use of poultry litter as fuel by the relevant industries. Hence the environmental impacts of using turkey litter as fuel to generate electricity instead of using litter as fertilizer were systematically analysed for the first time. For this purpose, a systems modelling-based life cycle assessment approach was used, with data obtained directly from the UK turkey industry. Impacts were calculated per 1000 kg turkey live weight produced at the farm gate (functional unit). The avoided burdens method was used to quantify the effects of the alternative litter use. Differences in the environmental impacts between the two litter use scenarios resulted from the combined effect of the following sub-processes: the loss of nitrogen as a crop fertiliser, the transport for collecting litter and distributing the ash as a phosphorus and potassium fertiliser, displacement of electricity generation by a combined cycle gas turbine, specific trace gas emissions from combustion and the loss of soil carbon from the reduced organic matter supply to arable soils. The results showed that there are substantial environmental benefits from using turkey litter as a fuel to generate electricity rather than using it directly as a fertiliser with reductions in burdens of cumulative primary energy demand (14%), eutrophication potential (55%) and acidification potential (70%). The reduction in acidification and eutrophication potentials were mainly associated with reduced ammonia emissions from the storage and land spreading of the litter. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were small (3%) because losses of soil carbon as a result of not applying litter to land partially counteracted the benefits of reduced fossil energy use. Small increases in nitrogen oxides, volatile organic carbon, particulate matter below 10 μm aerodynamic diameter and dioxin emissions were found, although only nitrogen oxides were especially linked to combustion. Despite its potential benefits, stringent management, monitoring and regulation of biomass fuelled power production is still needed, given the potential hazards of local high emissions. Although turkey litter was analysed in this study, similar results can be expected for broiler litter use as a fuel, as long as geographical conditions are similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces several environmental laws in Great Britain. The Farm Waste Grant Scheme provides grants in respect of agricultural businesses which are partly situated in nitrate vulnerable bushes. Climate Change Levy Regulations 2001 has been amended. Certain types of fissile materials had been prescribed under the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003. Under the Environmental Protection Act of 1990, waste disposal authorities are required to pay amount which represent their net savings on the disposal of wastes.

On-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) can deliver renewable energy, improved management of farm wastes and the production of fertilizer, offering cost-savings, environmental improvements and potentially also revenue generation. The research reported here provides an in-depth exploration, in the UK's East Midlands region, of the factors behind the limited uptake of on-farm AD, compared with other on-farm renewable energy sources, and what stakeholders would like to see to change this. Data collection has been undertaken in three stages – a questionnaire sent to farmers, 18 interviews with stakeholders from the industry and policy sides of the AD debate, and a stakeholder workshop. The many barriers identified were grouped into political & institutional, AD awareness, and economic & technical. A range of incentives and policy responses are identified to increase on-farm AD uptake, notably coordinated information gathering and dissemination, streamlined planning processes, improved access to finance, and stable policies. • On-farm uptake of anaerobic digestion in the UK is low. • In the UK East Midlands region, multiple barriers to uptake are identified. • These are institutional & political, lack of awareness, and economic & technical. • Multiple responses are therefore required to provide a holistic solution to improving uptake. • These include coordinated information, planning, access to finance, and stable policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-frequency sampling characterises E. coli regrowth patterns in livestock faeces. • Regrowth patterns observed under field conditions reproduced in the laboratory. • We develop a non-linear, asymptotic model of E. coli regrowth in livestock faeces. • Provides new evidence to inform risk assessment of livestock waste management. Agricultural intensification can lead to high volumes of livestock faeces being applied to land, either as solid or liquid manures or via direct defecation, and can result in reservoirs of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) persisting within farmland. Understanding the survival of FIOs, e.g. E. coli , in agricultural environments, and in particular within different livestock faeces, is key to developing catchment management practices for the protection of ecosystem services provided by clean water. Frequently, controlled laboratory studies, under constant temperature regimes, are used to determine the impact of environmental factors on E. coli persistence in livestock faeces; however, such studies oversimplify the diurnal variations and interactions of real world conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of E. coli using a controlled environment facility, which simulated diurnal variation of temperatures typically experienced during a British spring and summer. The approach provided a comparison of E. coli persistence profiles within faeces of sheep, beef cattle and dairy cattle to allow novel interpretations of E. coli regrowth patterns in contrasting livestock faeces in the period immediately post-defecation. Thus, the coupling of a tightly controlled environment facility with high resolution monitoring enabled the development of a new non-linear, asymptotic description of E. coli proliferation in livestock faeces, with increased potential for E. coli growth observed during warmer temperatures for all livestock types. While this study focused on temperatures typical of the UK, the occurrence of a phase of E. coli regrowth has implications for microbial water quality management worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ammonia (NH3) is emitted mainly from agricultural practices, with NH3 concentrations decreasing rapidly away from sources. As a consequence there is a high spatial variability in nitrogen deposition and its consequent ecological effects in agricultural landscapes that is in addition to differences in sensitivity between habitat types. This variability points to the potential to include spatial planning measures as part of strategies to protect sensitive vegetation from ammonia deposition. National abatement policies typically include uniform recommendations for technical abatement measures, such as ploughing in manures after land spreading. In this study, the complementary potential of spatial planning to reduce effects on target locations is analysed through model scenarios for an example landscape in central England. Scenarios included defining buffer zones of low-emission agriculture and establishing tree belts surrounding either emission sources or priority areas for the protection of semi-natural habitats. The analysis showed that tree belts can reduce deposition to sensitive areas, with trees surrounding the sensitive habitats being more effective than trees around the sources. Low emission buffer zones around sink areas also result in useful reductions in N deposition. Smaller nature reserve sites benefit to a greater degree from such spatial planning measures, as large reserves can provide their own buffer zone to some degree. Similarly, relocating point sources or using planning policies to ensure the location of large NH3 point sources are at least 2–3km from the sensitive habitats results in substantial reductions in N deposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the use of dried manure solids (DMS) as an alternative bedding material for dairy cows adapted by dairy farmers in Great Britain. It states that the practice has been used in the U.S. and in some European countries which has several existing types depending on the method of production. It also outlines the advantages of DMS including the small proportion of the slurry produced on farm is required to produce, sustainability and cost-effective.

The article discusses the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005, regulations related to the disposal of veterinary wastes. The regulations make it mandatory for all veterinary practices producing more than 200 kg of waste a year to register with the Environment Agency of Great Britain. The segregation and disposal of waste has strict rules to follow. Special rules related to the disposal of cytotoxic drugs and animal carcases are also included in the regulations.

The article reports on the launch of the new Web site of National Fallen Stock Co. (NFSCo) in Great Britain. The site offers news and information about the National Fallen Stock Scheme, a voluntary system that aims to provide a means for the collection and disposal of fallen stock that can not be buried or incinerated under the Animal By Products Regulation EC 1774/2002.

An abstract of the study "Faecal Contamination of Watercourses From Farm Waste Disposal for Three Sites in the UK With Contrasting Soil Types," by L. K. Deeks, M. McHugh, P. N. Owens, published in the June 2005 issue of "Soil Use and Management" is presented.

The article discusses a study on the effects of substituting mineral fertilizer by organic manures and a slow-release fertilizer in silage grass production on greenhouse gas emissions and soil mineral nitrogen content in a field experiment in Great Britain. Grassland is the major source of nitrous oxide and methane in the country, resulting from high rates of fertilizer uses. The organic manures investigated include sewage sludge pellets and composted sewage sludge and digested sewage sludge and cattle slurry. The organic manures produced nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide from time of application up to harvest. The useful methods of conserving nutrients in organic wastes were composting and dried pellets. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) slow-release fertilizer was the most effective substitute for the conventional NPK fertilizer for mitigation of nitrous oxide.

International and UK government reports have cited antibiotic use as a significant driver of antibiotic resistance (AR) in agricultural environments at the national and global scale. Unmetabolised antibiotics excreted in faeces and urine from livestock receiving antibiotic treatment are frequently highlighted as a selection pressure for resistant bacteria in slurry tanks and fields fertilised with animal husbandry waste. In this way, the application of animal waste on agricultural land represents a perturbation of the soil microbiome. From a human health perspective, crops destined for human consumption could also become contaminated with antibiotic residues and/or with bacteria carrying AR genes. However, assessing the flow of antibiotic resistance within farm environments is challenging due to their complex, multi-compartmental nature. As a result, the resilience of soil microbial communities and the response of the soil resistome to slurry application remain poorly understood.Key aims are to quantify AR within cattle slurry amended soils and to characterise factors which govern AR at the University of Nottingham (UoN) Dairy Farm site over two seasons of slurry application (2017/18). Specific objectives were to determine how antibiotic resistance profiles and community structure of soil bacteria respond to successive slurry applications, to establish a baseline for unamended soils in the same geographical area and to use the real-world data gathered to generate statistical models of AR in slurry amended field soils. By using a combination of classical culture and molecular techniques at the field scale we sought to negate common issues of methodology bias. Over 350 isolates were tested for phenotypic resistance to a range of antibiotics over the study period. Approximately 11% of these isolates were multi-drug resistant, with sub-sets of these isolates displaying resistance to select penicillins, 1st and 3rd generation cephalosporins, phenicols, nitrofurans, and synthetic quinolones. Soil samples were subject to DNA extraction and metagenomic analysis to elucidate microbial community composition and the resistome. Data will be discussed and contextualised within the current understanding of AR in the environment and farm management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seabirds provide inter-habitat connectivity by transporting vast quantities of nutrients from their pelagic feeding grounds to terrestrial and marine ecosystems via their nitrogen and phosphorous rich guano. However, it remains unclear whether seabird nutrients are cycling through many nearshore, temperate systems, such as United Kingdom (UK) rocky shores. Furthermore, it also remains unknown how seabird nutrient subsidies impact biodiversity, productivity, and recolonisation rates in UK rocky intertidal systems. Here, the impact of seabird nutrient subsidies to the Farne Islands, Northumberland, areas of high seabird densities during their breeding seasons, was compared to nearby low seabird density areas on the Northumberland coast. Estimated seabird derived nitrogen inputs and seabird densities were 420-1,025 and 949-2,279 times higher, respectively, on seabird islands than on the mainland. Seabird derived nutrient inputs led to substantially enriched nitrogen stable isotope (d15N) values and total nitrogen content in terrestrial soil, plants, and lichen, and intertidal barnacles, and limpets, and higher d15N values in macroalgae and turf algae. The seabird islands contained marginally greater algal species richness and higher densities of intertidal predators. However, other drivers could not be ruled out, such as nutrient inputs from mainland sources and marginally higher wave exposure at the mainland sites. No difference in limpet size, biomass, or abundance existed between the seabird islands and the mainland. On plots artificially cleared to simulate a disturbance event, barnacles recolonised faster on mainland sites. These findings provide evidence that seabird vectored pelagic nutrients are incorporated into terrestrial and intertidal ecosystems of UK islands, and therefore play an important role in facilitating ecosystem connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK Government has set an ambitious target of achieving a national "net-zero" greenhouse gas economy by 2050. Agriculture is arguably placed at the heart of achieving net zero, as it plays a unique role as both a producer of GHG emissions and a sector that has the capacity via land use to capture carbon (C) when managed appropriately, thus reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Agriculture's importance, particularly in a UK-specific perspective, which is also applicable to many other temperate climate nations globally, is that the majority of land use nationwide is allocated to farming. Here, we present a systematic review based on peer-reviewed literature and relevant "grey" reports to address the question "how can the agricultural sector in the UK reduce, or offset, its direct agricultural emissions at the farm level?" We considered the implications of mitigation measures in terms of food security and import reliance, energy, environmental degradation, and value for money. We identified 52 relevant studies covering major foods produced and consumed in the UK. Our findings indicate that many mitigation measures can indeed contribute to net zero through GHG emissions reduction, offsetting, and bioenergy production, pending their uptake by farmers. While the environmental impacts of mitigation measures were covered well within the reviewed literature, corresponding implications regarding energy, food security, and farmer attitudes towards adoption received scant attention. We also provide an open-access, informative, and comprehensive dataset for agri-environment stakeholders and policymakers to identify the most promising mitigation measures. This research is of critical value to researchers, land managers, and policymakers as an interim guideline resource while more quantitative evidence becomes available through the ongoing lab-, field-, and farm-scale trials which will improve the reliability of agricultural sustainability modelling in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is at the interface of biowaste management, energy generation, food production and land-based carbon dioxide removal. Strategic deployment of AD requires careful scoping of interactions with prospective alternative biowaste management, energy generation technologies and land uses to ensure effective delivery of climate neutrality and circularity. There remains a need to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation efficacy of AD in the context of future alternative (counterfactual) processes associated with differential rates of decarbonisation across energy, waste management and land (including agriculture) sectors. To address this gap, prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to AD deployment scenarios across three decarbonisation contexts, using the UK as an example. Food waste prevention and diversion to animal feed always achieve more GHG mitigation than AD, even with sustainable intensification of food and feed production. Compared with maize- or grass-biomethane transport fuel, solar electricity generation can avoid 16 times more fossil energy and afforestation can mitigate six times more GHG per hectare of land occupied. Transport biomethane is currently the most effective biogas use for GHG mitigation, but large-scale combustion of biogas for electricity or industrial heat generation is the most effective long-term option as transport is electrified and bioenergy carbon capture & storage (BECCS) is deployed. Prioritising waste prevention and diversion to animal feed (including via insect meal) instead of maximising AD deployment could simultaneously: offset an additional 10–15% of national GHG emissions; meet an additional 2–4% of national energy demand; free enough arable land to provide 20–21% of national recommended protein and kcal intake. However, AD is likely to remain the best option to manage substantial volumes of residual food wastes and manures that will remain available even if ambitious projections on waste prevention and diet change are realised. [Display omitted] • Consequential LCA of anaerobic digestion (AD) in future decarbonisation contexts • GHG mitigation efficacy of AD declines as energy & transport systems decarbonise • AD-crop cultivation is a highly inefficient land use for energy generation and GHG mitigation • Carbon capture & storage could maintain effective mitigation from large-scale biogas use • Sustainable niche for waste-AD alongside waste prevention & diversion to animal feed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the convenience and efficacy of modern ectoparasiticides, routine prophy- lactic use has become commonplace for dogs and cats. However, the environmental consequences of this large-scale use are not well-understood, and multiple potential pathways for ectoparasiticides to the environment exist. Of particular concern is the potential for topically applied ectoparasiticides to pass to waterways, both down-the- drain via wastewater treatment plants and directly through swimming. In this online cross-sectional survey of 1,009 UK cat and dog owners, we investigated ectoparasiticide usage and the frequency of activities that are likely to result in transfer of the active substance to the environment, with a focus on pathways to waterways. A total of 603 dog owners and 406 cat owners completed the survey. Amongst dog and cat owners, 86.1% and 91.1% had administered an ectoparasiticide treatment to their pet in the preceding 12 months. Imidacloprid was the most frequently administered ectoparasiticide in both cats and dogs, followed by fluralaner in dogs and fipronil in cats. Eighty-four percent of owners who applied topical ectoparasiticides to their dog said they were aware of product warnings regarding swimming and bathing after application. Spot-on treated dogs were reported to swim significantly less frequently than non spot-on treated dogs (pD0:007); however, 36.2% were reported to swim at least monthly. Similarly, significant differences were found in bathing frequency between spot-on treated and non spot-on treated dogs, with treated dogs less likely to be bathed at frequent (weekly) intervals, however 54.6% were reported to be bathed at least monthly. Washing of bedding was unaffected by ectoparasiticide treatment, and 87.8% of dog owners and 69.1% of cat-owners reported washing their pet's bedding at least every 3 months, suggesting that residue washoff from bedding may be occurring for most topically treated animals. Results suggest that transfer of ectoparasiticides to the environment is likely to occur for many of the millions of animals treated annually in the UK, with imidacloprid spot-on treated dogs estimated to swim, be bathed and have their bedding washed over 3.3 million, 5 million and 6.3 million times per year, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global amount of solid waste has dramatically increased as a result of rapid population growth, accelerated urbanization, agricultural demand, and industrial development. The world's population is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, while solid waste production will reach 2.59 billion tons. This will deteriorate the already strained environment and climate situation. Consequently, there is an urgent need for methods to recycle solid waste. Here, we review recent technologies to treat solid waste, and we assess the economic feasibility of transforming waste into energy. We focus on municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste. We found that methane captured from landfilled-municipal solid waste in Delhi could supply 8–18 million houses with electricity and generate 7140 gigawatt-hour, with a prospected potential of 31,346 and 77,748 gigawatt-hour by 2030 and 2060, respectively. Valorization of agricultural solid waste and food waste by anaerobic digestion systems could replace 61.46% of natural gas and 38.54% of coal use in the United Kingdom, and could reduce land use of 1.8 million hectares if provided as animal feeds. We also estimated a levelized cost of landfill solid and anaerobic digestion waste-to-energy technologies of $0.04/kilowatt-hour and $0.07/kilowatt-hour, with a payback time of 0.73–1.86 years and 1.17–2.37 years, respectively. Nonetheless, current landfill waste treatment methods are still inefficient, in particular for treating food waste containing over 60% water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines discourse representations of vegans in UK newspapers, comparing broadsheets with tabloids published between 2016 and 2020. Taking a corpus-based approach to CDA, we identify a series of discourses, some of which overlap between the broadsheets and tabloids while others are particular to one format or the other. Vegans tend to be evaluated negatively in this context, portrayed as violent, hypocritical, pushy and irresponsible when it comes to their (and their children's) health. Such representations are characteristic of the tabloids in particular, whereas broadsheets provide more balanced coverage, with a greater propensity to present counter-discourses and to provide page space to airing the first-hand perspectives of vegans themselves. In the paper, we make recommendations as to how coverage can achieve better balance, to the benefit of the vegan movement and – by extension – the wellbeing of humans, other animals, and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last four decades, the food industry in the United Kingdom has been subject to a considerable number of so-called "food-fraud scandals". These incidents mainly relate to actual, or alleged fraudulent activity which has resulted in public outcries about the criminality and industry malpractices which may underpin them. An analysis of these 'scandals' reveals that there is a 'scripted' nature to both their revelation and resolution, which can be modelled to help better understand how to investigate and theorise these incidents in context. This approach enables a better, more nuanced understanding of how to read the signs that link an incident to a given modus operandi and as a consequence enables relevant actors to take more appropriate and timely responsive actions, especially in the midst of a scandal narrative. Eight food related incidents are scrutinised, some termed scandals, and others that whilst receiving local or national media attention were not framed in the associated discourse as 'being scandals.' These case studies demonstrate the contextualised anatomies of each specific scandal to then identify the associated scripted themes and responses. The framework developed as an output from this research is of value in recognising the stages and nuances of a food-fraud scandal narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]