A new study by Greenpeace Italia, carried out with the support of the University of Siena, photographs one of the most serious environmental problems in the country: the Po Valley as the epicenter of Italian livestock emissions. The report, entitled “Poisoned Padania“, puts together data that leaves no room for interpretation: the cattle farming sector is responsible for 84% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the entire livestock sector and for almost two thirds of ammonia emissions. Between 2017 and 2023, the picture shows no improvement: emissions remain essentially stable with around 162,700 tonnes of ammonia and 12,725,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases produced every year. A stability which, underlines the report does not indicate sustainability but a crystallization of the environmental problem.
Geographical concentration: four regions and a hyper-dense system
The main issue is the territorial distribution. Around 60% of Italian cattle and over 80% of pigs are concentrated in Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. A density that transforms the entire Po Valley area into a single large emission zone. The most impactful provinces are clearly identified: Brescia, Cremona and Mantua. Alone they contribute to almost 15% of livestock ammonia emissions in the Po Valley. In particular, the province of Brescia alone accounts for 14.9% of ammonia emissions and 15.3% of regional livestock greenhouse gases.
Among the most impactful municipalities are Fossano (Cuneo), Reggio Emilia and Montichiari (Brescia) for ammonia, while for greenhouse gases Reggio Emilia, Fossano and Parma stand out.
Ammonia and PM2.5: the invisible link to health
One of the most critical aspects concerns the transformation of emissions into air pollutants. Ammonia, produced mainly by animal waste, is the second cause of the formation of PM2.5 fine particles in Italy. According to the European Environment Agency, fine particulate matter caused 43,083 premature deaths in Italy in 2023, the highest number in Europe. PM2.5 does not only derive from traffic or industry: a significant portion arises from the interaction between agricultural ammonia and other air pollutants. Making the picture worse is methane, a greenhouse gas with up to 80 times more impact than CO₂ in the first 20 years, produced during the digestion of ruminants.
The impressive concentrations of ammonia in Milan
Pollution does not remain confined to the countryside. In urban areas close to intensive agricultural areas, such as Milan, ammonia concentrations are up to 3-4 times higher than in other European cities far from livestock activities such as London and Barcelona, as emerged from a study. The geographical conformation of the Po Valley amplifies the problem: a sort of natural “basin” that retains pollutants and reduces atmospheric dispersion.
The regulatory paradox and the proposal for change
Despite the numbers, cattle farms are excluded from the European Directive on Industrial Emissions, one of the main environmental control standards for the production sector. Greenpeace, together with ISDE, Lipu, Terra! and WWF Italy, presented a bill to block new intensive farming and start a reconversion of the production system. The text, however, is still stuck in Parliament.
A fragile balance between production and environmental impact
The report also highlights a key fact: cattle alone generate 65% of zootechnical ammonia emissions and 84% of greenhouse gases in the agricultural animal sector. An environmental burden that is disproportionate to the current production structure. The result is a system that simultaneously affects climate, air, water and public health, with effects that add up over time and which, according to scholars, can no longer be considered marginal.
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