Eleonora Di Cristofaro, Francesca Palomba
The indicator describes ammonia (NH₃) emissions to the atmosphere from the agricultural sector, mainly resulting from livestock management and fertilizer use. It also assesses the sector's contribution to total national ammonia emissions and progress towards emission reduction targets.
In 2024, the agricultural sector emitted 323.5 kt of NH₃, accounting for 90.8% of total national ammonia emissions. With a 24% reduction compared with 2005, the sector is making a decisive contribution to achieving the emission reduction target.
The trend in NH₃ emissions is consistent with the reduction commitments established under the Gothenburg Protocol and the National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive.
The indicator describes emissions of ammonia (NH 3) in the atmosphere produced by the agricultural sector and mainly by the intensive forms that it has assumed in recent decades. In particular, the emissions produced by the extensive use of synthetic and organic fertilizers and by the management of livestock farms are considered (emissions from shelter and storage). A minimum share of national NH emissions 3 it comes from other production processes, road transport and waste treatment/disposal. The deposition of NH 3 contributes to various environmental problems, such as soil acidification, alteration of biodiversity and water eutrophication; furthermore, it intervenes in the formation of particulate matter, with consequences on human health. The quantification of NH emissions 3 occurs through appropriate estimation processes defined by the methodologies indicated in the EMEP/EEA reference manual (EMEP/EEA, 2023) concerning the inventory of air emissions.
Assess the trend of emissions and the achievement of the national and international reduction objectives established by the Gothenburg Protocol and the NEC Directive. Evaluate the share of ammonia emissions attributable to agriculture compared to the national total.
- UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Pollution ( Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, CLRTAP);
- Gothenburg Protocol (1999 and 2012);
- NEC Directive (2016/2284) and transposition Legislative Decree 81/2018.
The objective set by the NEC Directive (2016/2284 of 14/12/2016 which repeals and replaces the NEC Directive (2001/81/EC)) is equal to a 5% reduction in ammonia emissions for each year from 2020 to 2029 (as established by the 2012 update of the Gothenburg Protocol) and 16% starting from 2030, compared to 2005 emissions.
- 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, 2023. Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook. Technical guidance to prepare national emission inventories. EEA report 06/2023. URL: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/emep-eea-guidebook-2023
- ISPRA, 2026 [a]. Italian Emission Inventory 1990-2024. Informative Inventory Report 2026. Rapporti 426/2026. URL:https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files2026/pubblicazioni/rapporti/iir_r426_2026.pdf
- ISPRA, 2026 [b]. Serie storiche delle emissioni nazionali di inquinanti atmosferici 1990-2024. URL: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/#Report
- ISTAT, 2026. 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/
ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
ISPRA, Inventory of atmospheric emissions ( https://emissioni. sina. isprambiente. it/economia-nazionale/)
National
1990-2024
The indicator represents the estimate of national ammonia emissions produced by the agricultural sector, processed according to the methodology described in the reference manual of the inventory of air pollutant emissions (EMEP/EEA, 2023). In the' Information Inventory Report - IIR (ISPRA, 2026 [a]) describes the estimation methodology and the data used, reports the emission data, the analysis of the trend and the main emission categories, data control and quality activities, planning of estimate improvement activities.
The NEC Directive (2016/2284) has established a reduction target of 5% for national ammonia emissions for each year from 2020 to 2029 and of 16% starting from 2030, compared to 2005 emissions. In particular, for Italy the 2024 target is equal to 457.86 kt of national ammonia emissions, while the 2030 target is equal to 404.8 kt. In 2024, the agriculture sector is responsible for the emission of 323.49 kt of NH into the atmosphere 3, equal to 90.8% of the national total (Table 1), and by recording a reduction of 24% compared to 2005, it therefore contributes decisively to achieving the set objective.
In 2024, ammonia emissions from the agricultural sector decreased compared to 2005 by approximately 24%. , while from 1990 to 2023 there was a reduction of 35%, going from 499.52 kt to 323.49 kt (Figure 1). Since 1990, the reduction in emissions is mainly attributable to the reduction in the number of animals raised of some livestock species, the reduction in the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and agricultural surfaces and production, and the diffusion of emissions reduction techniques in the management of livestock farms.
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Table 1: Trend in ammonia emissions from agriculture, by source Fonte
ISPRA Legenda
1) includes emissions due to the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers 2) Includes emissions from the land application of livestock manure and other organic fertilizers, grazing, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes, and the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land. It also includes emissions from crop residues left on agricultural soils and subsequently incorporated into the soil 3) Includes emissions from livestock housing and manure storage |
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Figure 1: Trend in ammonia emissions Fonte
ISPRA |
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Figure 2: Trend in ammonia emissions from agriculture, by source Fonte
ISPRA Legenda
Emissions from Crops without fertilizers have been updated to include emissions from crop residues left on agricultural soils and subsequently incorporated into the soil. |
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Figure 3: Ammonia emissions from agriculture by source (2024) Fonte
ISPRA |
In 2024, ammonia emissions from agriculture decreased by 6.1% compared with the previous year, mainly due to lower emissions from livestock production (Figure 2). This decline is part of a broader long-term downward trend in agricultural emissions, driven by the reduction in livestock numbers, changes in agricultural production and the progressive uptake of emission mitigation techniques, promoted through the implementation of the IPPC Directive, the Nitrates Directive and the measures included in the Regional Air Quality Plans.
The interannual variability of ammonia emissions, observed along the entire time series, due, however, to the use of synthetic fertilizers, is entirely determined by the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) on the quantities of synthetic fertilizers sold at a national level, assuming that these products are actually applied to agricultural soils and considering in particular the nitrogen content present in them.
In 2024, the most significant emission source is represented by livestock management (emissions from shelter and storage), which contributes 54.1% to total NH emissions 3 of agricultural origin.
The other sources of emissions in the sector are: the spreading of animal waste (14.4%), the application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers to the soil (24.2%), grazing and the nitrogen fixed to the soil through the nitrogen-fixation process produced by the roots of legumes which contribute to the emissions of the category defined as "emissions from land without fertilizers" (3.7%), other organic fertilizers (2.1%), the spreading of sewage sludge (0.2%), the burning of agricultural residues (0.1%) and emissions from crop residues (1.1%) (Figure 3).