The nitrogen losses of a large number of low-emission dairy barn types can deviate considerably from the officially determined emission factor, according to confidential research by Wageningen UR. Research that has also been submitted to the sector organizations in recent weeks.
This may not be a big surprise, but it does show how vulnerable modern stable types, with existing permits, are to legal proceedings. If activist groups request an appropriate assessment and enforcement from the provinces for these stables, many dairy farms, as well as cattle, pigs and poultry farms, are in danger of getting into trouble. This is possible under the Nature Conservation Act (Wsn). To help them, additional emission space is needed, as is now being sought for thousands of PAS reporters and interim workers.
Big results
The research into low-emission stables in dairy farming used data from the Kringloopwijzer, which Wageningen UR, as a research institution, can request from ZuivelNL. The data presented by Wageningen Livestock Research for dozens of RAV codes (house types) shows that the results compared to the official emission factor can be large and can range from 11% to 25% nitrogen loss. Last fall, environmental organization MOB for the Council of State the permit of a number of low-emission stables in Utrecht. The highest legal body then determined that appropriate assessments had to be requested for two stable types. Livestock Research's research shows that this can be requested for many more RAV stable types.
Lawyer Franca Damen reports her website that the European Court of Justice comes to the same conclusion as the Council of State.