13 April 2011
Warrington Green Party welcomes a report published this week which concludes that nitrogen pollution is costing the EU between £55 and £280 billion every year. That is £650 per person, per year.
‘Reactive' nitrogen contributes to air pollution and climate change, and shortens the life of the average EU resident by 6 months.
Livestock farming is one of the biggest causes of nitrogen pollution. Excess nitrogen runs off farmland to pollute water courses; the release of nitrous oxides from dung heaps pollutes the air. Agriculture produces 70% of nitrous oxide emissions in Europe.
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) which produced the report states that eating meat is the dominant driver of the nitrogen cycle in Europe; they also report that it is much more efficient to obtain protein from plants.
Warrington Green Party is encouraging people to keep at least one day of the week meat free to help reduce livestock farming levels. Using less fertilizer would also cost farmers less.
But we also need to change the way we farm. Mixed farming systems aren't so dependent on nitrate fertilizers. Grazing animals on clover-rich grasslands provides a natural source of nitrogen, reducing or replacing the need for fertilizers as well as providing food for bees and other wildlife.
The power of major supermarkets, with their price wars, encourage factory farming - our cheap cuts of beef are costing us all dearly. Organic meat, while more expensive, tastes better, is better for the animals, and because it is not dependent on artificial fertilizer, much, much better for the environment. Less meat, but better.....
New rules come into play in 2012 to reduce nitrogen pollution but the CEH says these rules do not go far enough. Find more information on the report
Read the FOE report on farming methods
Warrington and Halton Green Party RSS Feed