Emissions, Regulations and Impact in the European Union and The Netherlands

Transcription

1 2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc. Emissions, Regulations and Impact in the European Union and The Netherlands H. H. Ellen 1 Housing and Farm Technology, Applied Research of Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands Primary Audience: Extension Officers, Integration Directors, Researchers SUMMARY Poultry farmers in the European Union and especially in Holland have been dealing with environmental legislation for some years already. The most important regulations are the directives 2001/81/EC; National Emission Ceilings for certain pollutants and 96/61/EC; Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). These directives state that the emission of ammonia from poultry houses must decrease and that each farm must have a permit. Poultry farmers in Holland must use a housing system with an ammonia emission that is not higher than given maximum levels. Key words: ammonia emission, environment, poultry DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM Since the late 1970s air pollution has been one of Europe s main political concerns. The aim of the European Union (EU) policy is to develop and implement appropriate instruments to improve air quality. The limitation and control of emissions from all kinds of sources, improving fuel quality, and promoting and integrating environmental protection requirements into the transport and energy sector are part of these aims. In addition, the reduction of pollutants is an important issue. One of the instruments for the European Parliament and the Council is the Sixth Environment Action Program (EAP), Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice [1]. The EAP covers the period from 2001 until One of the main target areas is environment and health, which includes the issue air 2005 J. Appl. Poult. Res. 14: pollution. The objective considered in the Sixth EAP is to achieve levels of air quality that do not give rise to unacceptable impacts on and risks to human health and the environment. The European community is acting on many levels to reduce exposure to air pollution. The focus for the next 10 yr will be implementation of air quality standards and coherency of all air legislation and related policy initiatives in Europe. Emission Ceilings Countries around the world have made agreements to work together in the protection of the environment. The most well-known of these agreements is the Kyoto protocol of 1997 [2]. In this protocol commitments were made for reduction of the so-called greenhouse gases 1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: hilko.ellen@wur.nl.

2 652 JAPR: Symposium TABLE 1. Emission levels in 1990 and the emission ceilings of the Gothenburg Protocol (GP) [3] and the NEC Directive (NEC) [4] for SO 2,NO x, volatile organic compounds (VOC), and NH 3 (thousands of metric ton) 1 SO 2 NO x VOC NH 3 Country 1990 GP NEC 1990 GP NEC 1990 GP NEC 1990 GP NEC Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France 1, , ,957 1,100 1, Germany 5, ,693 1,081 1,051 3, Greece Ireland Italy 1, ,938 1, ,213 1,159 1, Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Spain 2, , , Sweden UK 3, ,673 1,181 1,167 2,555 1,200 1, EU-15 3,850 6,519 6,510 3, = emission level in 1990 [4]; GP = emission ceiling according to the Gothenburg Protocol [3]; NEC = emission ceiling according to the NEC Directive [4]. in units of CO2 equivalents. The countries agreed on a reduction of 5% in the years between 2008 and 2012 compared with The 15 countries of the EU committed themselves to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 8%. The EU Member States together with Central and Eastern European countries, the United States, and Canada have negotiated a multipollutant protocol under the Convention on Long- Range Transboundary Air Pollution. In November 1999 the result was the so-called Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication, and Ground-Level Ozone [3]. In this protocol emission ceilings are set for SO 2, nitrogen oxide (NO x ), volatile organic compounds, ammonia (NH 3 ), and a maximum for ground-level ozone. The emissions have to be reduced to upper limits, which have to be reached by Again the EU members set another step forward. In Directive 2001/81/EC on National Emission Ceilings for certain pollutants (NEC Directive [4]), more ambitious reductions were established. In Table 1 the emission ceilings for the EU members are given for the Gothenburg Protocol and the NEC Directive together with the emission levels in the year The Member States have to make their own legislation to comply with the directive. Also, each year they have to report their national emission inventories and projections for 2010 to the European Commission and the European Environment Agency. The information from the several members and the pollutants are presented at the European Pollutant Emission Register [5]. Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control The agreements on the emission ceilings are not the only instruments for the EU to improve air quality. There are also directives that prescribe the use of reduction techniques. One of them is Directive 96/61/EC, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control [6]. Activities with a great negative influence on the environment are only allowed with an official permit. For animal husbandry only intensive rearing of poultry or pigs is mentioned in the list of activities. The directive must be applied when the number of animal places is more than 40,000 places for poultry. 2,000 places for pigs (over 30 kg). 750 places for sows. The term poultry refers to chicken laying hens and broilers, turkeys, ducks, and guinea fowls. From October 30, 2007, all locations with more places than mentioned above have to use a technique with a low ammonia emission. In the so-called Best Available Techniques Reference

3 ELLEN: AIR EMISSIONS AND POULTRY PRODUCTION 653 [7], the techniques with a low emission and not too high extra costs are mentioned. For poultry, only systems for laying hens and broilers are in the list of Best Available Techniques (BAT). The systems that are BAT are Laying hens, cage housing: A cage system with manure removal, at least twice a week, by way of manure belts to a closed storage. forced air drying in which the manure is removed at least once a week to a covered storage. whisked-forced air drying in which the manure is removed at least once a week to a covered storage. improved forced air drying in which the manure is removed from the house at least once a week to a covered storage. drying tunnel over the cages; after 24 to 36 h the manure is removed to a covered storage. Laying hens, noncage housing: A deep litter system with forced air drying. A deep litter system with a perforated floor and forced air drying. An aviary system with or without range or outside scratching area. Broilers: The naturally ventilated house with a fully littered floor and equipped with nonleaking drinking systems. The well-insulated fan-ventilated house with a fully littered floor and equipped with nonleaking drinking systems [Vleeskuiken Emissie Arm (VEA), low-emission broiler housing] Not only housing systems are BAT. Good agricultural practice is an essential part of BAT and therefore mentioned in the Best Available Techniques Reference. The environmental performance of a poultry farm will be improved when a farmer performs all the following: Identify and implement education and training programs for farm staff. Keep records of water and energy usage, amounts of livestock feed, waste arising, TABLE 2. Limits for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) [8] (number of places) Animal EIA judgment EIA obligatory Broilers >60,000 >85,000 Laying hens >45,000 >60,000 Pigs (over 30 kg) >2,200 >3,000 Sows >350 >900 and field applications of inorganic fertilizer and manure. Have an emergency procedure to deal with unplanned emissions and incidents. Implement a repair and maintenance program to ensure that structures and equipment are in good working order and that facilities are kept clean. Plan activities at the site properly, such as the delivery of materials and the removal of products and waste. Plan the application of manure to land properly. It is also possible to reduce the burden on the environment by nutritional techniques, such as phase feeding. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Another instrument to prevent environment damage is the directive, which prescribes that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) [8] has to be made for installations of a certain dimension and for great public projects. For animal husbandry the EIA directive is also only in force for poultry and pig farms. There are 2 limitations for this directive in the number of animal places. Above the first limit, the local authorities judge whether an EIA has to be made or not, and above the second limit, an EIA is obligatory. The limits for poultry and pigs are given in Table 2. The EIA shall identify, describe, and assess in an appropriate manner the direct and indirect effects on Human beings, fauna, and flora. Soil, water, air climate, and the landscape. Material assets and the cultural heritage. The interaction between the factors mentioned above. This information can be used by the authorities in making the decision whether a farm gets a permit or not.

4 654 JAPR: Symposium TABLE 3. Maximum ammonia emission values for poultry, year of utilization, and number of bird places above which the Dutch directive has to be used [12] Maximum emission value Year of use (kg/animal Category place per yr) Pullets (cage housing) >40,000 >20,000 Layers (cage housing) for all >10,000 Layers (noncage housing) categories >10,000 Broiler breeders >10,000 Broilers >25,000 IMPLEMENTATION IN DUTCH LEGISLATION Both the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control and the EIA directive are implemented in Dutch legislation. For many years in Holland, poultry farms have been required to have a permit in which the amount of ammonia and odor emission is registered. Lists of ammonia and odor emission factors for all the housing systems in the different dairy, pig, and poultry categories have been established. To fulfill the EU Directive 2001/81/EC [4] and reduce the ammonia emission to the 128,000 tonnes (metric), the Dutch government has set maximum values for the ammonia emission from farms. This will be implemented in Table 3 gives the maximum emission values for poultry categories. All farms have to use a technique that results in an emission that is not higher than the one mentioned in the table. The year in which this has to be done depends on the number of bird places on the farm. All the directives to reduce the burden on the environment will lead to extra costs for the poultry farms. In the year 2002, the Dutch Agricultural Economics Research Institute studied the extra costs [9, 10]. They determined that the extra costs for reducing the ammonia emission for poultry farms in Holland would be about 0.7 eurocents per broiler and 0.6 eurocents per kilogram of eggs for layers. ENVIRONMENT AND WELFARE Poultry farmers in Europe not only have to deal with the environmental legislation but also with directives on welfare. The best known directive is the one that bans the cage for laying hens [11]. From 2012 on only enriched cages or alternative systems may be used as housing systems for layers. A regulation is being proposed on the number of broilers per square meter in kilogram live weight [12]. Maximum amounts of 30 and 38 kg/m 2 are mentioned. These regulations on welfare will result in a higher emission of ammonia. Also, the consumption of energy will be higher. This will, in turn, affect the possibility of reaching the aim on reduction of greenhouse gases. CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS 1. Poultry farmers in Holland are standing for great changes in keeping birds. 2. To comply with the NEC Directive in which an emission ceiling on ammonia for Holland is set on 128,000 tonnes in 2010, techniques to reduce the ammonia emission have to be placed in the houses. 3. In addition, the farmers with laying hens are not allowed to use cages any more as a housing system beginning in When farmers make changes to the houses, they are required to submit big reports on how the changes affect the environment. Only then will they get a permit for building and using the houses.

5 ELLEN: AIR EMISSIONS AND POULTRY PRODUCTION 655 REFERENCES AND NOTES 1. European Parliament Sixth Community Environment Action Programme. Decision No 1600/2002/EC. 2. UNFCCC. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. convkp/kpeng.pdf. Accessed Apr Gothenburg Protocol Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone. lrtap/full%20text/1999%20multi.e.pdf. Accessed Apr European Parliament Directive 2001/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on National Emission Ceilings for Certain Atmospheric Pollutants. pri/en/oj/dat/2001/l_309/l_ en pdf. Accessed Apr European Pollutant Emission Register. Accessed Apr European Council Council Directive 96/61/EC Concerning Integrated Prevention and Control. EU, Brussels, Belgium. 7. European Commission Reference Document on Best Available Techniques for Intensive Rearing of Poultry and Pigs. Accessed Apr European Council Council Directive 97/11/EC Amending Directive 85/337/EEC on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Public and Private Projects on the Environment. EU, Brussels, Belgium. 9. van Horne, P. L. M., and N. Bondt Kostprijsontwikkeling Consumptie-Eieren; Basisjaar LEI, Den Haag, The Netherlands (in Dutch). 10. van Horne, P. L. M., and N. Bondt Kostprijsontwikkeling Kuikenvlees. LEI, Den Haag, The Netherlands (in Dutch). 11. European Council Directive 1999/74/EC Laying Down Minimum Standards for the Protection of Laying Hens. EU, Brussels, Belgium. 12. AmvB-Housing. In Concept. General measure of government on ammonia emission and housing animal husbandry (in Dutch) Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and Environment, Den Haag, The Netherlands.