Clampdown on stoves and open fires in drive to slash air pollution
THE MOST polluting fuels used for log burners and open fires will be banned to tackle air pollution.
Plans to reduce people’s exposure to particulate matter, which is rated the most damaging pollutant, are set out today in a new strategy announced by Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
Stoves and open fires have become the single biggest source of particulate matter emissions and so only the ‘cleanest’ stoves will be allowed to go on sale by 2022.
The Government also intends to restrict sales of wet wood for domestic burning and apply sulphur and smoke emission limits to all solid fuels.
Sales of bituminous or traditional house coal may also be phased out.
Ministers predict the measures will cut costs of air pollution to society by £1.7bn every year by 2020.
That figure could rise to £5.3bn a year by 2030 due to savings from public health benefits.
Mr Gove said: “While air quality has improved significantly in recent years, air pollution continues to shorten lives, harm our children and reduce quality of life.”
The Clean Air Strategy also includes changes to existing smoke control laws and new powers for local authorities to act in high pollution areas, and plans to reduce ammonia emissions from farming.
THE GOVERNMENT has pledged to help farmers tackle air pollution as the industry works towards dramatically reducing its ammonia emissions.
Agriculture produces 88 per cent of the UK’s ammonia gas emissions which can drift long distances and combine with other pollutants to form particulate matter which is harmful to human health.
Farms will be financially rewarded for reducing ammonia emissions under new post-Brexit policy and the Government’s new Clean Air Strategy, announced today, includes a further commitment to support farmers’ investment in emission-tackling infrastructure and equipment.
The Government also pledged to work with the industry to encourage low-emission, holistic farming techniques.
Farming Minister, George Eustice said: “Ammonia emissions can have a significant impact on the environment and on our health, and as custodians of the land, farmers have an important role to play in reducing them.
“Our future agriculture policy will involve financial rewards and incentives to help farmers reduce their ammonia emissions.”
Ammonia is released when slurries, manures and nitrogen fertilisers comes into contact with air. The gas can also damage the environment through soil acidification and locking excessive nitrogen in habitats, reducing biodiversity.
Fraser Hugill, a farmer and
environmental consultant near Helmsley, has helped to run events with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment which have informed farmers about adjusting livestock feed rations and fertiliser product choices to cut ammonia emissions.
Mr Hugill said: “There is a growing awareness across agriculture of the need to tackle ammonia emissions. However, if action is to become widespread, there needs to be clear information on how measures to reduce emissions can benefit farm businesses in ways that are practical and financially realistic to implement.”