Germany's Livestock Emits 1.18M Tonnes Methane; Weser-Ems a Hotspot
Berlin – November 03, 2026 -- German livestock farming emits 1.18 million tonnes of methane a year, the second-highest total in European animal husbandry, according to an analysis by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), the University of Oxford and the Changing Markets Foundation. Germany also ranks third in Europe for ammonia emissions, at 443,800 tonnes.
Weser-Ems emits more than twice the ammonia of Schleswig-Holstein
The study looks at methane and ammonia together to locate regions where both burdens overlap. Weser-Ems in Lower Saxony is the key German hotspot. The region emits 74,600 tonnes of agricultural ammonia a year, against 34,190 tonnes in Schleswig-Holstein.
Livestock methane in Weser-Ems reaches 149,170 tonnes, roughly half as much again as in Schleswig-Holstein (102,490 tonnes), the region with Germany's second-highest output. Cattle account for about 84 percent of Weser-Ems methane emissions.