ABSTRACT
Agriculture is both a source and a sink of atmospheric pollution. The effects of agricultural emissions range from the short-term local nuisance of excessive odour, to their contribution to the long-term impact of global warming. This chapter considers the four major polluting gases from agriculture: ammonia, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide before finally addressing farm odours. Because of their differing behaviour in the atmosphere (Box 6.1), odours and to a certain extent ammonia emissions are seen as local pollution issues, whilst methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions have implications for the global environment. This chapter will address:
• the production and form of the major gaseous emissions from agriculture;
• the potential pollution problems these gases may cause;
• practical solutions to minimising their loss.
