A toolkit that assesses the ammonia emissions risk on farms received a positive response from the government when it was unveiled this week.
The toolkit, developed by dairy farmer Peter Alvis, allows farmers to input basic data relating to housing type and management, slurry storage and spreading.
It has been developed in response to the government's plan to introduce permitting for dairy and intensive beef farms by 2025, with concerns permits based on headage or output may not be the most effective and fair approach.
Mr Alvis, who is also chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF), said: "Larger farms may produce more total emissions, however emissions per animal, kg or litre of output may be lower.
"Permits based on a headage or output basis may not achieve the desired requirement to reduce ammonia emissions."
Mr Alvis said he believed using a risk-based approach would be a more accurate way to assess the emissions risk.
It would evaluate each farm based on size, the farming systems and practices used, and create a score for the farm, highlighting the emissions risk.
He added: "By using a risk-based tool, a farmer would be able to see the effect adapting or changing practices would have on their emissions risk.
"They could then adopt the most appropriate and cost effective risk reduction technique for their farm."
Although the toolkit is still in development, it is hoped to be released next year.
Kathryn Morley, from Defra, said the menu-based approach in the toolkit was an 'interesting idea'.
"The reduction in emissions needed is quite substantial, so most farms will have to do everything they can to reduce emissions."
Targets set by the government to reduce ammonia emissions by 49kt by 2030 are unlikely to be hit, with Ms Morley admitting she was unsure whether it was even possible to reach that target.
"We acknowledge not everyone will be able to afford the change," she explained.
John Allen from Kite Consulting agreed, and warned the permitting of farms would cause 'a big restructuring of the dairy industry between 2023 and 2025'.
He said: "Farmers are losing BPS and will have to find money to invest to meet emission reduction targets.
"It is quite realistic some farmers will face a 3p/ litre cost to meet targets; this is a lot when the average profitability is only 2.5-3p/litre.
"For those farms that have got the generational issue sorted, they may stay and invest, but farmers are going to have to work out which side of the fence they sit on going forward."
