CAFRE models cutting ammonia emissions on beef and sheep farms
The Lowland Beef and Sheep Centre at the Greenmount campus in Co. Antrim is spread across 130ha of grassland, carrying approximately 100 suckler cows and 270 breeding ewes.
The Hill Farm Centre, also in Co. Antrim, is comprised of 960ha, carrying 100 suckler cows and a further 1,300 breeding ewes approximately.
The farms have being modelled using data from their 2022 year in line with the National Ammonia Reduction Strategy Evaluation System (NARSES)
Ammonia mitigation measures in place
In terms of cattle, DAERA stated that both farms are applying all slurry using low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE), which is said to reduce ammonia by approximately 30%.
On top of this, they are using only stabilised urea when spreading artificial fertiliser, which decreases emissions up to 15%.
There are four above-ground slurry stores across the two farms, one of which has an impermeable cover.
The other three above-ground stores have lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) applied, which can reduce ammonia emissions by 60% compared to stores with no cover.
As regards to housing, CAFRE are outwintering approximately 20 sucklers to reduce silage and slurry storage demand.
Sheep
In terms of the on-farm sheep, the main difference between the two locations is that 80% of the Hill Farm flock is housed for three months, while the lowland herd are at pasture all year round.
Lowland Farm Hill Farm Grazing/outdoor 72% 53% Housing 0% 18% Manure storage 0% 9% Manure spreading 0% 15% Nitrogen fertilisers 28% 4% Source: DAERA
LECA
CAFRE applied LECA to their uncovered above-ground slurry storage unit in January, 2025, in a bid to reduce ammonia emissions.
The product comes in large 2.2m3 bags with an approximate price guide of £330/bag.
The amount of product needed is calculated by multiplying size of the store in square metres by 0.1, which will result in a 10cm layer volume. This value is then divided by the volume of the bags to give the number required for the store.
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