The work of the Expert Group on Ammonia Abatement

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The work of the Expert Group on Ammonia Abatement

• J Webb
• UK
• Chairman

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Objectives of the Expert Group

• Continued review of, and possible revisions to,
  Guidance Document on Control Techniques for
  Preventing and Abating Emissions of Ammonia
• EB.AIR/WG.5/1999

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Objectives of the Expert Group

• Promote the use of the Framework Advisory Code of
  Good Agricultural Practice for Reducing Ammonia
  Emissions

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Objectives of the Expert Group

• Give further consideration to estimates of
  non-agricultural NH3 emissions, in collaboration
  with the Task Force on Emissions Inventories and
  Projections (TFEIP) and the Task Force on
  Measurement and Modelling (TFMM)
• improve the quality of reporting NH3 emissions
  and measurements

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Objectives of the Expert Group

• Review, in cooperation with the Task Force on
  Measurement and Modelling, strategies to monitor
  reduction of nitrogen compounds

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Work Plan for Implementation of the Convention

• Develop transparent emissions and abatement
  reporting systems
• maintain and update the Guidance Document,
  particularly with respect to animal housing
• link emissions to measurements of NH3 and
  ammonium concentrations and modelling of their
  atmospheric processing and impacts

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Aims of this meeting

• Are we satisfied with our revisions to the
  Guidance document?
• are countries developing codes of good
  agricultural practice at the national level?
• how do new data and projections on NH3 affect
  targets for 2010?

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Priorities for discussion

• New techniques for abatement and/or new data on
  abatement
• costs of abatement
• emission projections
• measures already introduced by countries
• how succesful have these been?

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Report of meeting in 2005
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Revision of Guidance Document 2004/5

• Control Techniques for Preventing and Abating
  Emissions of Ammonia
• (EB.AIR/1999/2)
• for the review of the Gothenburg Protocol, it has
  been updated to take account of Best Available
  Technologies (BAT) reference documents (BREF)
• contributors from NL, Swi, UK, It and Pol
• some sections will be further reviewed at the
  next meeting

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Discrepancies between estimates of Emission and
Deposition

• Discrepancies between reported emissions and
  measured deposition were discussed at the 2005
  Meeting
• Expert Group proposed a joint workshop with the
  Task Force on Measurement and Modelling
• the aim of the workshop would be to explore ways
  to improve the use of NH3 emission models in the
  modelling of deposition

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CIAM survey on Farm Practices

• CIAM presented the results of a survey on farm
  practices carried out in 2004/5
• the questionnaire was developed by CIAM at the
  request of the Expert Group in 2003
• 18 countries replied, mainly from NW Europe
• results also provided information on costs and
  abatement efficiencies
• results were used in bilateral discussions and in
  revising the Guidance Document

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Costs of ammonia abatement

• The Group discussed cost estimates and
  development of cost curves
• the Group acknowledged the wide range of costs
  within the UNECE area
• the Group noted the need for a common costing
  approach
• but do not expect to produce uniform costs

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Recommendations 1

• Continue to update Guidance Document in time for
  2006 meeting of WGS (Sep 2006)
• in order to obtain improved emission inventories,
  greater participation in Expert Group meetings of
  those responsible for construction and submission
  of agricultural emissions was needed

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Recommendations 2

• It would seek to organize a joint workshop with
  the EMEP Task Force on Measurements and Modelling
• depending on a request from the modelling
  community
• a joint meeting has been arranged for 4-6
  December 2006
• Edinburgh, UK

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Recommendations 3

• The Group will set up an informal sub-group to
  provide input on costs
• the Group recognised the importance of capacity
  building in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and
  Central Asia (EECCA) countries

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Recommendations 4

• The next meeting should be held at a suitable
  venue to attract EECCA Experts
• the Group should consider holding a seminar in
  Russian and English, possibly in 2006/7, on
  ammonia inventories and abatement techniques in
  the region

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Outputs from this meeting

• Date for completion of updates to Guidance
  Document
• agreement on whether the COGAP needs updating
• if so, establishment of group to carry out the
  update
• establishment of sub-group to harmonise approach
  to costing abatement measures

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Further actions for next meeting

• Revise and update sections of the Emission
  Inventory Guidebook that deal with agriculture
• create database of EF