Panel 1
Eleonora Di Cristofaro, Francesca Palomba
The indicator describes ammonia (NH₃) emissions into the atmosphere produced by the agricultural sector, mainly due to livestock management and fertilizer use. It enables the assessment of the sector's contribution to total national emissions and the achievement of reduction targets.
In 2022, the agricultural sector was responsible for emitting 317.25 kt of NH₃ into the atmosphere, accounting for 90.4% of total national emissions.
The trend in NH₃ emissions is consistent with the targets set by the Gothenburg Protocol and the National Emission Ceiling Directive (NEC Directive). The national reduction target for 2022 has been achieved.
The indicator describes ammonia (NH₃) emissions into the atmosphere produced by the agricultural sector, primarily linked to the intensive practices adopted in recent decades. Specifically, it considers emissions resulting from the widespread use of synthetic and organic fertilizers, as well as from livestock management (emissions from housing and manure storage).
A minimal share of national NH₃ emissions originates from other production processes, road transport, and waste treatment/disposal.
Ammonia deposition contributes to several environmental issues, such as soil acidification, biodiversity loss, and eutrophication of water bodies. Additionally, it plays a role in the formation of particulate matter, with consequences for human health.
NH₃ emissions are quantified using appropriate estimation processes defined by the methodologies outlined in the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook (EMEP/EEA, 2019).
Assess the trend of emissions and the achievement of national and international reduction targets established by the Gothenburg Protocol and the NEC Directive. Evaluate the share of ammonia emissions attributable to agriculture in relation to total national emissions.
- Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, CLRTAP;
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Gothenburg Protocol (1999 and 2012);
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NEC Directive (2016/2284) and Legislative Decree No. 81/2018 transposing it.
The target set by the NEC Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of 14 December 2016, which repeals and replaces Directive 2001/81/EC) is a 5% reduction in ammonia emissions for each year from 2020 to 2029 (as established by the 2012 revision of the Gothenburg Protocol) and a 16% reduction starting from 2030, compared to 2005 emission levels.
Panel 2
- Cóndor R.D., Di Cristofaro E., De Lauretis R., 2008. Agricoltura: inventario nazionale delle emissioni e disaggregazione provinciale. Istituto superiore per la protezione e la ricerca ambientale. Rapporto ISPRA 85/2008. Roma, Italia. URL: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/agricoltura-inventario-nazionale-delle-emissioni-e
- Cóndor R.D., 2011. Agricoltura: emissioni nazionali in atmosfera dal 1990 al 2009. Rapporto ISPRA 140/2011. Roma, Italia. URL: https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/rapporti/agricoltura-emissioni-nazionali-in-atmosfera-dal
- EEA, 2022. National Emission reduction Commitments Directive reporting status 2022. URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/national-emission-reduction-commitments-directive-2022/national-emission-reduction-commitments-directive
- EMEP/EEA, 2019. Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook. Technical report No 13/2019. URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/emep-eea-guidebook-2019/part-b-sectoral-guidance-chapters/4-agriculture
- ISPRA, 2024 [a]. Italian Emission Inventory 1990-2022. Informative Inventory Report 2024. Rapporto ISPRA 400/2024 . URL: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/#Report
- ISPRA, 2024 [b]. Serie storiche delle emissioni nazionali di inquinanti atmosferici 1990-2022. URL: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/#Report
- ISTAT, 2024. Dati annuali sulla consistenza del bestiame, sulla produzione di latte, sui mezzi di produzione, sulle coltivazioni. Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. URL: http://dati.istat.it/
Data quality assessment
ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale)
ISPRA, Inventario delle emissioni in atmosfera (https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/)
Italy
1990-2022
Indicator assessment
The indicator represents the estimated national ammonia emissions produced by the agricultural sector (Cóndor et al., 2008; Cóndor, 2011), calculated according to the methodology described in the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook (EMEP/EEA, 2019).
The Informative Inventory Report – IIR (ISPRA, 2024 [a]) describes the estimation methodology and the data used, and includes emission data, trend analysis, main emission source categories, data quality control activities, and planning of improvements to the estimation process.
Each year, the emission data (ISPRA, 2024 [b]), reported using the Nomenclature Reporting Format (NFR) and the IIR, are submitted to the UNECE/CLRTAP Secretariat.
The NEC Directive (2016/2284) established a national ammonia emission reduction target of 5% per each year from 2020 to 2029, and 16% from 2030 onwards, compared to 2005 emission levels. Specifically for Italy, the 2022 target corresponds to 456.98 kt of national ammonia emissions, while the 2030 target is set at 404.07 kt.
In 2022, the agricultural sector was responsible for emitting 317.25 kt of NH₃ into the atmosphere, representing 90.4% of the national total (Table 1). With a 25% reduction compared to 2005 levels, the agricultural sector has thus played a decisive role in achieving the established target.
In 2022, ammonia emissions from the agricultural sector decreased by approximately 25.0% compared to 2005, while between 1990 and 2022 a reduction of 36.5% was recorded, from 499.90 kt to 317.25 kt (Figure 1).
Since 1990, the reduction in emissions has been mainly attributed to a decline in the number of livestock for certain animal species, a decrease in the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and in agricultural land and production, as well as the adoption of emission abatement techniques in livestock management.
Data
Figure 1: Trend in ammonia emissions
ISPRA
Emissions from ‘Coltivazioni senza fertilizzanti’ /'Crops without fertilisers' have been updated to also include emissions from crop residues left on agricultural soils and subsequently incorporated.
Figure 2: Trend in ammonia emissions from agriculture by source category
ISPRA
Figure 3: Ammonia emissions from agriculture by source (2022)
ISPRA
In 2022, ammonia emissions from agriculture decreased by 11.7% compared to the previous year, mainly due to a 46.7% reduction in emissions associated with the use of synthetic fertilizers (Figure 2).
The year-to-year variability in ammonia emissions from synthetic fertilizer use is entirely based on data provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) concerning the quantities of synthetic fertilizers sold in the country. It is assumed that these fertilizers are applied to agricultural soils, and emissions are estimated based on their nitrogen content.
According to Assofertilizzanti – Federchimica, the 2022 figures are below the annual average (for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), as fertilizer purchases had increased in the previous two years. This was due to high market prices, which led operators to delay purchases in anticipation of a price drop, which in fact occurred in 2023.
In 2022, the main source of ammonia emissions in agriculture was livestock management (housing and manure storage), contributing 57.3% of total agricultural NH₃ emissions. Other emission sources in the sector include (Figure 3): manure spreading (20.6%), application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers (13.9%), grazing and nitrogen fixation from legume roots contributing to the category “emissions from unfertilized soils” (3.1%), other organic fertilizers (3.8%), sewage sludge spreading (0.3%), agricultural residue burning (0.1%), and emissions from crop residues (1.0%).