Revealing the potential nutrient, ecotoxin and pathogen risks to freshwaters from livestock excreta

Livestock excreta is a major pollutant in UK freshwaters, contributing significantly to eutrophication, pharmaceutical loading, pathogen transport, and ecotoxicological risks to aquatic biota. Environmental impact is likely to depend on on-farm livestock management and farming methods, including the management of direct excreta inputs (dung, urine, slurry amendments, manure spreading to land), and connectivity of land to surface waters. Allowing livestock direct access to watercourses can also influence the rate of urination and defecation, with cattle (dairy and beef) showing a 5–10% increase in frequency compared to those voiding excreta on land. This heightened deposition in streams is exacerbated during summer low flows where streams have less dilution capacity. Meanwhile slurry amendments to fields before rainfall events can generate transport of slurry and its constituent contaminants from land to watercourses which is widely reported. Here, we report the results of a major NERC-funded research programme QUANTUM in which we have characterised the contaminant profiles of livestock excreta (including solid manure, slurry, urine and dung from dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep farming systems) to determine their nutrient, chemical contaminant and pathogen composition, to clarify the risks these materials may pose to biota in UK freshwaters.

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Journal
Explore Bristol Research
Published
2025-10-17
Primary Topic
Fecal contamination and water quality
Type
article
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article

Revealing the potential nutrient, ecotoxin and pathogen risks to freshwaters from livestock excreta

Ian D. Bull, Andrew Binley, Tolulope I. Lawrence, Sydney J. A. Enns et al.
Explore Bristol Research
Fecal contamination and water quality
article

Revealing the potential nutrient, ecotoxin and pathogen risks to freshwaters from livestock excreta

Ian D. Bull, Andrew Binley, Tolulope I. Lawrence, Sydney J. A. Enns, Ana Teresa Castro, Dania Albini, Victoria L. Hussey, Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, D F. Davies, Hanna Boote, John Ball, Penny J Johnes, Dave Chadwick, Charles R Tyler, Davey L. Jones, Richard P Evershed
article en

Abstract

Livestock excreta is a major pollutant in UK freshwaters, contributing significantly to eutrophication, pharmaceutical loading, pathogen transport, and ecotoxicological risks to aquatic biota. Environmental impact is likely to depend on on-farm livestock management and farming methods, including the management of direct excreta inputs (dung, urine, slurry amendments, manure spreading to land), and connectivity of land to surface waters. Allowing livestock direct access to watercourses can also influence the rate of urination and defecation, with cattle (dairy and beef) showing a 5–10% increase in frequency compared to those voiding excreta on land. This heightened deposition in streams is exacerbated during summer low flows where streams have less dilution capacity. Meanwhile slurry amendments to fields before rainfall events can generate transport of slurry and its constituent contaminants from land to watercourses which is widely reported. Here, we report the results of a major NERC-funded research programme QUANTUM in which we have characterised the contaminant profiles of livestock excreta (including solid manure, slurry, urine and dung from dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep farming systems) to determine their nutrient, chemical contaminant and pathogen composition, to clarify the risks these materials may pose to biota in UK freshwaters.

Explore Bristol Research
University of Essex (GB), Bangor University (GB), University of Exeter (GB), University of Bath (GB), Cabot (United States) (US), Lancaster University (GB)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Northwestern University, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Ministeriet for Fø devarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri, Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Innovationsfonden, Comunidad de Madrid, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, UK Government, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government, European Commission, National Research Foundation, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Teagasc, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Ministry of Environment, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Rural Development Administration, National Research Foundation of Korea, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba, China Scholarship Council, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Norges Forskningsråd, Hainan University, Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, Regione Lombardia, Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España, Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft, Xunta de Galicia, Région Bretagne, Vlaamse regering, Innosuisse - Schweizerische Agentur für Innovationsförderung, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat, Agence de la transition écologique, Agroscope, Grønt Udviklings- og Demonstrations Program, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wageningen University and Research, Bundesamt für Energie, Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province, Embrapa Florestas, Interreg
Life in Land
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Fecal contamination and water quality
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