According to a new study from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Afairs (defra, gov.uk), ammonia and nitrogen pollution — the majority from farms — is damaging over half of UK land, hitting the most fragile habitats for plants and wildlife hardest. Despite this news, there are currently no clear plans to monitor or reduce the impact.
Over 80 per cent of England’s total land area receives concentrations of ammonia which are above the critical level set to protect keystone species that are vital to ecosystems, like lichens, mosses and liverworts. The problem is even worse in Northern Ireland, with 88 per cent of land with high ammonia amounts. In Wales, just over half of land is afected and less than a fith in Scotland.