National modelling and assessment
A longstanding difficulty in accurately predicting the potential ecological impact of pig and poultry farming on a national level has been the unavailability of a register of farm locations and number/type of animal produced. The AmmoniaN2K project has utilised local authority planning systems to identify an additional 738 intensive pig and poultry farms to date. This will feed into the production of a national assessment of atmospheric emissions from intensive farming, including a cumulative assessment of nearby farms and ambient concentrations. This will allow for the first accurate assessment of critical level (a concentration above which impacts are observed) exceedances across the Irish Natura 2000 network of designated sites.
