The 2019 Aerius calculator became available in mid-September. This should allow the licensing process in the context of nitrogen to get underway again. In practice, however, it appears that the new calculator is not suitable for agriculture. The granting of permits therefore remains at a standstill, which has major consequences for many agricultural entrepreneurs. Where does the shoe pinch?
Due to the ruling of the Council of State on May 29 this year, the granting of permits in the context of the Nitrogen Approach Program (PAS) came to a standstill. The Council of State ruled that the legal basis for the PAS was not sufficient. This also meant that the Aerius calculation program, which determines the deposition on Natura 2000 areas, could no longer be used.
Renewed Aerius
The Ministry has now released a new version, which was eagerly awaited. After all, this calculation program is a prerequisite for applying for permits. It was published about 3,5 months after the Council of State's ruling, on September 16. While politicians have already indicated that the solution to the nitrogen impasse can be found in livestock farming, the updated Aerius now appears to be unsuitable for livestock farming.
The updated Aerius has been stripped of the typical PAS functionalities. For example, everything related to 'development space' has been removed. The ruling of the Council of State also specifically addressed the lack of 'exit speed' and 'source diameter'. However, these are not included in the updated Aerius. This means that sources with mechanical ventilation, a vertical outflow and a low heat content fall outside the application range of the updated Aerius.
In addition, the Council of State has ruled that calculation rules for the influence of a building on the spread of the emission source on and near the building are lacking. These calculation rules have also not been added to the updated Aerius, which means that livestock farming is now left empty-handed.
Months of delay
"It's a mess at the moment," says a director of an agricultural consultancy firm in the south of the Netherlands. "The expectation was that a new version, which is suitable for livestock farming, would be available at the end of October, but in the corridors of the province of North Brabant we now hear that it could well be the first quarter of 2020." This indeed seems more likely: on the Aerius website you can read that the RIVM intends to further investigate the influence of a building on depositions. The chance that this will be completed in a month does not seem that great.