This of course relates to nitrogen holding compounds such as ammonia, other sources (in the form of nitrogen oxides) are road and airplane engines as well as construction and heavy industries. These nitrogen compounds actually have an acute negative impact on population health through respitory tract damage as well as on wildlife as well as certain types of plants, which leads to a reduction in biodiversity. That's the reason for EU wide nitrogen compound emmission caps. Just to be clear, the Netherlands has an extremely high concentration of livestock farmers. About 75% of meat production is exported even though we're an extremely small country with a super high population and structure density..

Yep, would all be fine if they could just return the nitrogen in its original form.

It's mainly the ammonia (fertilizer runoff from fields and animal waste) that's a problem for nearby nature preserves and bodies of water, according to environmentalists who sued the government. Also livestock urine ammonia vapors and nitrogen oxides forming smog.

From a non-paywalled article: [https://www.science.org/content/article/nitrogen-crisis-jam-...]

Well they need to offset the carbon footprint of private jets and yachts of the WEF somehow.