Did you know that 64% of world-wide ammonia emission arises through livestock production, which contributes significantly to acidification of ecosystems? Ammonia (NH3) is one of the most common challenges in livestock production: It negatively affects the environment, human and animal health.
Did you know?
…causes damage in respiratory and ocular systems
…affects profitability due to lower animal performance
…causes eutrophication and acidification of ecosystems
Eutrophic lakes, acid soils
Ammonia destroys rivers and lakes. It acidifies the soil and damages the vegetation. And as fine dust, it impairs the respiratory tract. Ammonia not only smells, but also stings your nose. Probably everyone who has worked in a chicken house, dairy barn or pig barn knows what it is all about.
Industrial livestock production produces ammonia. Ammonia is produced by the bacterial decomposition of undigested nutrients, as well as proteins and urea in excrements. Cattle farming in particular contributes 50% of the global ammonia emissions, followed by pig and poultry farming. While the majority of ammonia emissions in pig farming occur directly in the barn, in cattle farming ammonia is primarily produced during the storage and spreading of manure. The ammonia released from the nitrogenous manure and the ammonium salts formed in the air can be transported over long distances by wind and water. They have an acidifying effect on soils and impair forest ecosystems, land and lakes with too much nitrogen - the result is overfertilization.
Did you know?
Ammonia has an indirect effect on the greenhouse effect, because about two percent are converted into nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas with implications for climate change.
Aerial ammonia - decrease performance
When you enter a commercial livestock barn with poor ammonia management practices, you often have to cough. At least your throat is scratching heavily. The reason is the irritant gas ammonia, which usually is present in high concentration. Ammonia attacks the respiratory tract, eyes and mucous membranes - the gas is considered as stressor in animal husbandry. This can result in lung diseases and reduced feed conversion in livestock.
On top, people living in the immediate vicinity of swine farms complain about odor emissions that require high investments to reduce ammonia concentrations in the exhaust air. Decreasing environmental pollution and protecting animal and human health while reducing emissions is clearly a top goal. Livestock ammonia management is the global target for a sustainable animal production and a safe environment.
Enviro QS® - for less ammonia emission
- Contains Quillaja, a triterpenoidal saponin and polyphenol antioxidants
- Contributes to the reduction of ammonia emissions
Enviro QS® is a 100 % plant-based product from the Quillaja saponaria tree which reduces ammonia formation in intensive livestock husbandry when compared to a diet that does not contained Enviro QS®.
Nature that works – proven scientifically
Scientific studies conducted in sealed chambers located in our PNRC with Enviro QS® in broilers have shown that average ammonia emissions per day can be reduced by 36%*.
In growing-finishing pigs, Enviro QS® has shown to reduce ammonia emission by 14%**, thus contributing to better air condition in pig barns.
*Trial on ammonia emission in broilers with Enviro QS®, P044
**Trial on ammonia emission in growing-finishing pigs with Enviro QS®, S086