Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to signing the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management.

The Government recognises that reactive nitrogen has damaging impacts on habitats, water and air quality and contributes to climate change.

The UK is committed to tackling nitrogen and has a variety of regulations, incentive schemes and advice in place to help reduce the sources and impact of nitrogen pollution.

For example, the UK has adopted legally binding targets to reduce emissions of two nitrogen-containing air pollutants - ammonia and nitrogen oxides. The Clean Air Strategy sets out comprehensive action to control emissions of these pollutants which is expected to reduce damaging deposition of reactive forms of nitrogen by 17% over England’s protected priority sensitive habitats by 2030.

The Government has been engaging with the International Nitrogen Management System and has been working at a regional level with the Government of Sri Lanka on the issue of nitrogen management. The Government will continue to monitor progress on the Colombo Declaration as this initiative develops.