Incentivising ammonia emission abatement through in-house slurry acidification: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment in Germany

Abstract

This article assesses farmers' willingness to participate in a stylised scheme supporting the adoption of slurry acidification techniques in livestock facilities. Slurry acidification is a novel technique, developed in Denmark, to reduce ammonia emissions. In a discrete choice survey of 129 German livestock farmers, the respondents were asked to choose among different support schemes and the status quo. The attributes presented in the choice sets were the expected emission reduction, the cost share on offer, a factor by which the additional nitrogen in acidified slurry must be accounted for in fertiliser plans, and concessions on current fertiliser regulations. A mixed logit model showed that the majority of respondents valued emission reductions, a higher cost share and concessions on the statutory requirements of the Fertiliser Ordinance. A latent-class model was applied to reveal preference heterogeneity. It identified three preference classes with different perceptions of the scheme's attributes.