FAIR-CT96-1877 Publication: Biogenic Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture in Europe

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Publications : Agriculture : FAIR Area 4.4.1 - Plant Health



Edited by A Freibauer and M Kaltschmit, ISSN 0938-1228, February 2001

This publication is the European report of the EU Concerted Action "Biogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Caused by Arable and Animal Agriculture" (FAIR-CT96-1877) for Task 3 "Overall Emissions". It is also the final report from this project.

The objectives of the project were:

• to synthesize the state-of-the-art methodologies for greenhouse gas emission inventories on regional to continental scale,
• to develop a methodology specifically for European conditions,
• to quantify agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Europe for the last two decades, and
• to evaluate these emissions in the context of the overall anthropogenic emissions and of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The methodology aimed to assess GHG emissions from agricultural sources using more detailed information on distinct biogenic sources and sinks in agriculture in cases in which the IPCC and CORINAIR guidelines offer rough emission factors only. Hence, it supplements these methods.

In cases where the guidelines provide detailed estimates at the state-of-the-art level, no further refinement was made. Specifically, as innovation, manure management was separated into the CH₄ and N₂O sources "animal houses", "manure store", and "manure spreading". For soils, the CH₄ sink was considered and N₂O emissions were calculated on a regional basis with respect to climate, site conditions and management. As far as possible, indirect GHGs such as NO and NH₃ have been included.

Ammonia emissions have been compiled to serve as a basis for the structure of the inventory of the other trace gas species. This procedure assures the compatibility of the inventory with existing approaches, which are most advanced for ammonia. Furthermore, the results may be interpreted as an assessment of the side effects of ammonia mitigation and generally serve for an integral assessment of GHG mitigation for a variety of GHG species. The methodology is

• applicable EU-wide
• extendible to an integrated inventory of air/soil/water emissions
• compatible with CORINAIR
• pointing towards control options for biogenic greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

The report was compiled with the assistance of detailed information provided by the partners of the Concerted Action and by additional researchers as well as by data from EUROSTAT and JRC-SAI.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Summary

1 Introduction

1.1. Background: evolution of greenhouse gas inventories

1.2 Aim and Scope of the Report

1.3 Definitions

1.4 Sources and sinks considered

2 Existing Approaches to Inventories of Greenhouse Gases from Agriculture

2.1 Guidelines for standard emission inventories

2.1.1 IPCC Guidelines

2.1.2 CORINAIR

2.2 Methane

2.2.1 Methane emissions from enteric fermentation

2.2.2 Methane emissions from manure management

2.2.3 Methane emissions from agricultural soils

2.3 Nitrous oxide

2.3.1 Nitrous oxide emissions from manure management

2.3.2 Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

2.4 Nitric oxide

2.4.1 Nitric oxide emissions from manure management

2.4.2 Nitric oxide emissions from agricultural soil

2.5 Ammonia

2.5.1 Ammonia emissions from manure management

2.5.2 Ammonia emissions from agricultural soils

3. New Methodology

3.1 Carbon dioxide

3.1.1 Land use change

3.1.2 Farming on drained organic soils

3.2 Methane

3.2.1 Animal husbandry

3.2.2 Agricultural soils

3.3 Nitrous oxide

3.3.1. Animal Husbandry

3.3.2. Agricultural soils

3.4 Nitric oxide

3.4.1 Animal husbandry

3.4.2 Agricultural soils

3.5 Ammonia

3.5.1 Animal husbandry

3.5.2 Agricultural soils

4 Activity Data

4.1 Agricultural area

4.2 Soil characteristics

4.3 Livestock numbers

5 Uncertainties in the Emission Generating Activities

5.1 Agricultural area

5.2 Farmed organic soils

5.3 Livestock numbers

5.4 Fertiliser

6 Results

6.1 Agricultural soils

6.1.1 Mineral agricultural soils

6.1.2 Farming on drained organic soils

6.1.3 Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils

6.2 Animal husbandry

6.2.1 Dairy cattle

6.2.2 Other cattle

6.2.3 Sheep and goats

6.2.4 Pigs

6.2.5 Poultry

6.3 Nitric oxide

6.3.1 Agricultural soils

6.3.2 Animal husbandry

6.4 Ammonia

6.5 Biogenic greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector

6.6 Uncertainties in the results

7 Discussion

7.1 Agricultural emissions in the context of overall emissions

7.2 Impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

7.2.1 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

7.2.2 Impact of CAP on greenhouse gas emissions

8 Conclusions

9 Outlook: Options for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Agriculture

9.1 Mitigation options gas-by-gas for agricultural sources

9.1.1 husbandry

9.1.2 Agricultural soils

9.2 Integrated approaches

References

Annexes

Annex A: Methane and Nitrous Oxide emissions from Agriculture 1975 - 1997

Annex B: Characteristics of Livestock in European Countries and Regions

Annex C: Average Nitrogen Application per Hectare in 1995 133

Annex D: Soil Conditions

Annex E: Area of Farmed Organic Soils

Annex F: National Contributions Austria

Annex G: National Contributions Denmark

Annex H: National Contributions Finland

Annex I: National Contributions Netherlands

Annex J: National Contributions Switzerland

Contacts

Editor

• Martin KALTSCHMITT / University of Stuttgart, Institute for Energy Economics and the Rational Use of Energy (IER) / GERMANY

For copies

• A VOSS / Universitaet Stuttgart, IER Inst fuer Engergiewirtschaft & Rationelle Energieanwendung / GERMANY