Odour predictions
Are new buildings or extensions of existing facilities planned? Then we have dedicated computational models that allow us to realistically predict odour development. As a result, we can verify whether a proposed development would be compatible with existing businesses, such as agriculture or the food industry, in the course of land-use planning. Such predictions, can also be use to verify the business' need for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) or a review of the EIA obligations due to changes in the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA Act). The companies subject to the EIA obligations and those required to undergo a site related or general preliminary assessment are listed in Annex 1 of the EIA Act.
Moreover, for the first time in the field of animal husbandry, the Clean Air Act has established a minimum distance between stalls and sensitive ecosystems, such as forest, which is dependent on the total ammonia emission given off by the livestock management method. The operator must prove that the pollution caused by ammonia does not exceed 3 µg/m3 of Ammonia-(NH3) using dispersion modelling in cases where this minimum distance is not respected.
However, in the Clean Air Act, blanket minimum distances to the nearest residential development that have been put in place to ensure the protection of nearby residents from offensive odours are only established for pigs and chickens relative to the number of animals. For all other species, the minimum distances are established on a "case-by-case" basis.