IPPC Author Makes Fact-Finding Visit
UK - The NFU hosted IPPC 'BREF' author, Paolo Montobbio, last week as part of his three-day fact-finding trip to England and Ireland.The BREF document is recognized as the European standard for IPPC-type pig and poultry units and forms the basis for much of the Environment Agency guidance produced in England and Wales. Importantly, the BREF sets out Best Available Techniques.
The document is currently being updated and Mr Montobbio is the lead author making the changes.
NFU's involvement in these discussions are critical, since recent changes to the Industrial Emissions Directive mean that EU member states have less flexibility to deviate from any BAT conclusions outlined in the finalised BREF document.
The first stop on the trip was to Gressingham Foods near Diss to visit duck units of varying ages. Mr Montobbio was met there by technical director, Stephen Urwin.
Back at the NFU regional office in Newmarket, presentations were given on the broiler sector by NFU poultry board vice chairman, Nigel Joice, and NFU East Anglian poultry forum chairman, Tom Wornham.
Nigel Youd, the group environment manager at Noble Foods, spoke on the egg sector and Brian Kenyon, agricultural operations manager of Cherry Valley, spoke about the duck sector. All were keen to demonstrate that techniques used here can be considered to be the 'Best Available'.
Representatives from Defra and the Environment Agency also attended.
Mr Montobbio went onto meet with representatives of the pig sector last Tuesday and travelled to northern and southern Ireland the following day.
The NFU represents the European farmers' organisation, COPA, on a Technical Working Group feeding into the revisions on the BREF.