A Report on the Modelling of the Dispersion and Deposition of Ammonia from the Existing Pig Rearing Houses at Locks Farm and Blackhall Farm, near Edgefield in Norfolk Prepared by Steve Smith AS Modelling & Data Ltd. Email: [email protected] 17th July 2020 1 1. Introduction AS Modelling & Data Ltd. has been instructed by Eleanor Jackson of Dalehead Foods on behalf of North Farm Livestock Ltd., to use computer modelling to assess the impact of ammonia emissions from the existing pig rearing houses at Locks Farm and Blackhall Farm, near Edgefield in Norfolk. NR24 2AY. Ammonia emission rates from the pig rearing houses at Locks Farm and Blackhall Farm, have been assessed and quantified based upon the Environment Agency’s standard ammonia emission factors and information from the recent Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) report, “Establishing ammonia emission factors for straw-based buildings”. The ammonia emission rates have then been used as inputs to an atmospheric dispersion and deposition model which calculates ammonia exposure levels and nitrogen and acid deposition rates in the surrounding area. This report is arranged in the following manner: • Section 2 provides relevant details of the farm and potentially sensitive receptors in the area. • Section 3 provides some general information on ammonia; details of the method used to estimate ammonia emissions, relevant guidelines and legislation on exposure limits and where relevant, details of likely background levels of ammonia. • Section 4 provides some information about ADMS, the dispersion model used for this study and details the modelling procedure. • Section 5 contains the results of the modelling. • Section 6 provides a discussion of the results and conclusions. 2 2. Background Details Locks Farm is in an isolated rural location, approximately 1.9 km to the south-south-east of the village of Edgefield in Norfolk. The surrounding land is used largely for arable farming, although there are some wooded areas nearby. The site is at an altitude of around 55 m with the land rising towards higher ground to the north and falling towards the River Bure Valley to the south. Blackhall Farm is approximately 750 m to the north-north-west of Locks Farm and is approximately 1.1 km to the south-south-east of Edgefield. Blackhall Farm is at an altitude of around 62 m with the land rising towards higher ground eo the north and falling towards the River Bure Valley to the south. Under the proposal, the pig rearing house at Locks Farm and Blackhall Farm would be stocked with 3,292 and 1,008 pigs respectively. The pigs would be reared from around 7 kg to around 105 kg on a solid floor system with straw bedding/litter. Approximately 1,200 tonnes of manure in total would be stored in two middens, one at Locks Farm and one at Blackhall Farm. There is one area designated as Ancient Woodland (AW) and several Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs) within 2 km (the normal screening distance for non-statutory sites) of the pig rearing houses at Locks farm and Blackhall Farm. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), within 5 km (the normal screening distance for SSSIs) of the farm and there are several other SSSIs within 10 km. Two of the SSSIs are also designated as units of the Norfolk Valley Fens (NVF) Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Some further details of the SSSIs and the SAC are provided below; the distances given are from a central point between Locks Farm and Blackhill Farm. • Edgefield Little Wood SSSI - Approximately 1.2 km to the north-north-east - A lowland sessile/pedunculate oakwood which is very rare in Norfolk. • Holt Lowes SSSI/NVF SAC - Approximately 4.5 km to the north-north-west - an area of dry sandy heathland that grades into flushed slopes along the valley of the River Glaven. • Kelling Heath SSSI - Approximately 8.4 km to the north - Kelling Heath provides perhaps the best example of a glacial outwash plain in England. A wide variety of heathland birds nest on the site, which also provides a good reptile habitat. • Weybourne Town Pit SSSI - Approximately 10.3 km to the north - designated for geological features only. • Briton's Lane Gravel Pit SSSI - Approximately 10.5 km to the north-east - designated for geological features only. • Cawston and Marsham Heaths SSSI - Approximately 10.1 km to the south-west - The largest area of Heather- dominated heathland now remaining in east Norfolk. They represent a locally scarce type which shows affinities to the Atlantic coastal heaths found in western Britain. • Booton Common SSSI/NVF SAC - Approximately 9.6 km to the south - a mosaic of wet calcareous fen grassland and acid heath communities which have developed due to the naturally undulating ground. Areas of tall fen and a strip of valley alder woodland occupy the lower ground adjacent to the stream. • Swanton Novers Woods SSSI - Approximately 8.7 km to the west - One of the most important group of woods in the country, embracing between them an exceptional range of woodland stand-types, several of which are uncommon nationally. Bryophytes, fungi and epiphytic lichens are well represented with uncommon species present. There is a particularly diverse population of breeding birds and invertebrate fauna is also of considerable interest. • Glandford (Letheringsett Road) SSSI - Approximately 10.2 km to the north-north-west - designated for geological features only. • Glandford (Hurdle Lane) SSSI - Approximately 9.9 km to the north-north-west - designated for geological features only. 3 A map of the surrounding area showing the positions of the proposed pig rearing houses and the nearby wildlife sites are provided in Figure 1. In this figure, the LWSs are shaded in yellow, the AWs are shaded in olive, the SSSIs are shaded green, the SAC units are shaded purple and the site of the pig rearing houses are outlined in blue. 4 Figure 1. The area surrounding Locks Farm and Blackhall Farm – concentric circles radii at 2.5 km (olive), 5.5 km (green) and 10.5 km (purple) © Crown copyright and database rights. 2020. 5 3. Ammonia, Background Levels, Critical Levels & Loads & Emission Rates 3.1 Ammonia concentration and nitrogen and acid deposition When assessing potential impact on ecological receptors, ammonia concentration is usually expressed 3 in terms of micrograms of ammonia per metre cubed of air (µg-NH3/m ) as an annual mean. Ammonia in the air may exert direct effects on the vegetation, or indirectly affect the ecosystem through deposition which causes both hyper-eutrophication (excess nitrogen enrichment) and acidification of soils. Nitrogen deposition, specifically in this case the nitrogen load due to ammonia deposition/absorption, is usually expressed in kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year (kg-N/ha/y). Acid deposition is expressed in terms of kilograms equivalent (of H+ ions) per hectare per year (keq/ha/y). 3.2 Background ammonia levels and nitrogen and acid deposition The background ammonia concentration (annual mean) in the area around the farms and the wildlife 3 sites is 3.35 µg-NH3/m . The background nitrogen deposition rate to woodland is 47.60 kg-N/ha/y and to short vegetation is 27.72 kg-N/ha/y. The background acid deposition rate to woodland is 3.09 keq/ha/y and to short vegetation is 1.85 keq/ha/y. The source of these background figures is the Air Pollution Information System (APIS, July 2020). 3.3 Critical Levels & Critical Loads Critical Levels and Critical Loads are a benchmark for assessing the risk of air pollution impacts to ecosystems. It is important to distinguish between a Critical Level and a Critical Load. The Critical Level is the gaseous concentration of a pollutant in the air, whereas the Critical Load relates to the quantity of pollutant deposited from air to the ground. Critical Levels are defined as, "concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere above which direct adverse effects on receptors, such as human beings, plants, ecosystems or materials, may occur according to present knowledge" (UNECE). Critical Loads are defined as, "a quantitative estimate of exposure to one or more pollutants below which significant harmful effects on specified sensitive elements of the environment do not occur according to present knowledge" (UNECE). 3 For ammonia concentration in air, the Critical Level for higher plants is 3.0 µg-NH3/m as an annual mean. For sites where there are sensitive lichens and bryophytes present, or where lichens and 3 bryophytes are an integral part of the ecosystem, the Critical Level is 1.0 µg-NH3/m as an annual mean. 6 Critical Loads for nutrient nitrogen are set under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. They are based on empirical evidence, mainly observations from experiments and gradient studies. Critical Loads are given as ranges (e.g. 10-20 kg-N/ha/y); these ranges reflect variation in ecosystem response across Europe. The Critical Levels and Critical Loads at the wildlife sites assumed in this study are provided in Table 1. 3 N.B. Where the Critical Level of 1.0 µg-NH3/m is assumed, it is usually unnecessary to consider the Critical Load as the Critical Level provides the stricter test. However, it may be necessary to consider nitrogen deposition should a Critical Load of 5.0 kg-N/ha/y, or lower, be appropriate. Normally, the Critical Load for nitrogen deposition provides a stricter test than the Critical Load for acid deposition. Table 1. Critical Levels and Critical Loads at the wildlife sites Critical Load Critical Load Critical Level Site Nitrogen Acid (µg-NH /m3) 3 (kg-N/ha/y) (keq/ha/y) AW and LWSs 1.0 1 & 2 - - Edgefield Little Wood SSSI 1.0 1 & 2 15.0 2 - Holt Lowes SSSI/NVFs SAC 1.0 1 & 2 5.0 2 - Kelling Heath SSSI and Cawston and Marsham Heaths SSSI, Booton 1.0 1 & 2 10.0 2 - Common SSSI/NVFs SAC and Swanton Novers Woods SSSI Weybourne Town Pit SSSI, Briton's Lane Gravel Pit SSSI, Glandford n/a 2 & 3 n/a 2 & 3 n/a 2 & 3 (Letheringsett Road) SSSI and Glandford (Hurdle Lane) SSSI 1.