UK farming causes over a quarter of cities’ particle pollution, study finds

Satellite data showed the true extent of ammonia being released from farming, especially dairy cattle farms. Photograph: Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Getty Images

A study reveals that farming is responsible for more than a quarter of the particle pollution in UK cities.

UK agriculture created 38% of the particle pollution in Leicester, 32% in Birmingham and 25% in London in 2019, according to the study. In each case the contribution from rural agriculture was greater than all of the sources within the cities themselves.