Lords’ nitrogen inquiry concludes

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has concluded its inquiry into efficient nitrogen use.

Water minister Emma Hardy gave evidence last week, alongside agriculture minister Daniel Zeichner. This follows previous sessions which heard from a range of stakeholders including Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Natural England.

The inquiry sought to understand how excess reactive nitrogen could be captured and re-used and potential solutions for reducing nitrogen pollution, with focus on opportunities and challenges across sectors. It also considered the coordination of government policy on nitrogen across departments and how Government could take a more holistic, strategic approach to nitrogen management.

The Committee explained that nitrogen pollution has significant public health and environmental impacts: on water quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem health, biodiversity, and soil quality. Moreover, that the significant losses of nitrogen to air and water from agriculture, industry, wastewater and transport constitute a wasted resource. It noted: “The UK has a range of targets relating to diverse aspects of nitrogen pollution, but many are reported to be off track in the Office for Environmental Protection’s latest progress report. Policy on nitrogen to date has focused on particular impacts within separate sectors.”

The Committee is expected to report on its findings in July.