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Environment
Apr 16, 2026

New map reveals UK ammonia hotspots tied to intensive pig and poultry farms

AI Summary
Researchers from Compassion in World Farming and Sustain have released the first map showing the highest concentrations of ammonia emissions in the UK, pinpointing Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk—areas dense with intensive pig and poultry units. The study highlights the health and environmental risks of ammonia, its contribution to deadly PM2.5 particles, and comes as the government considers loosening planning rules for factory farms.

For the first time, a detailed map identifies the UK’s most severe ammonia pollution hotspots in regions where intensive pig and poultry farms are most concentrated.

The analysis, produced by Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and the environmental group Sustain, shows the highest emission densities in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk. These counties host a large number of confined‑livestock units that drive dangerous levels of ammonia, a nitrogen‑based gas primarily released from animal manure.

In the United Kingdom, agriculture accounts for 89% of national ammonia emissions. When released into the atmosphere, ammonia reacts with other pollutants to form fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a leading cause of premature death. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) estimated that PM2.5 exposure caused between 28,861 and 29,000 early deaths in 2010.

The timing of the report is notable: the government is currently reviewing planning regulations that would make it easier to approve new intensive livestock facilities, despite growing concerns over air quality, water contamination and local opposition.

Health professionals warn that ammonia‑derived PM2.5 fuels heart disease, stroke, asthma and chronic lung conditions. Dr Amir Khan, a GP and CiWF patron, said, “As a GP, I see first‑hand the toll that air pollution takes on people’s health – and ammonia from intensive farming is a major, yet often overlooked, part of that problem.”

Beyond human health, excess nitrogen from ammonia deposition acidifies soils and pollutes rivers. Recent activism in Shropshire halted a proposed poultry megafarm of 230,000 chickens after campaigners argued the council failed to assess the full environmental impact.

Rising numbers of industrial poultry units—known as IPUs—along the River Wye and River Severn valleys are identified as a key driver of river pollution. Chicken manure is especially rich in phosphates, which deplete oxygen in waterways and threaten aquatic life.

Calculations for the map were based on permitted stocking numbers and average ammonia production factors for different livestock categories, including broiler chickens, indoor egg layers and pigs.

Local residents are already feeling the impact. Michele Franks, who lives near a Lincolnshire poultry megafarm, described how shed clean‑outs force her to stay indoors, causing “chest tightness, eye irritation and breathing difficulties” that can last for days.

CiWF and Sustain are calling for an end to the expansion of factory farming. Anthony Field, head of Compassion in World Farming UK, warned, “Factory farming sits at the heart of the UK’s ammonia crisis. By cramming large numbers of animals into confined spaces and relying heavily on fertilisers, these intensive systems release far more ammonia than the environment or our bodies can cope with.”