The two-day meeting aims to update the VERA protocol for emissions measurements. In particular, it targets at including recommendations for mitigating measures in open ventilated barns in the protocol.
ATB is offering its expertise in assessing the complex air streams in open ventilated animal barns. The agenda of the two-day meeting therefore also includes a visit of ATB's boundary layer wind tunnel.
VERA (Verification of Environmental Technologies for Agricultural Production) is a multinational collaboration between Denmark, The Netherlands and Germany for testing and verifying environmental technologies within the agricultural sector. Currently these include livestock housing and management systems, air cleaning technologies, technologies for reduction of gaseous emissions from land applied manure, covers and other technologies for reduction of gaseous emissions from stored manure, and slurry separation technologies.
A number of independent technical experts have been appointed in all three countries within each of the technology subject areas that VERA works with. Internationally, the experts are organized in the International Verification Committee (IVC). The IVC experts are in charge of revising existing protocols and developing entirely new ones. Furthermore, they play a central role in ensuring the uniformity and reliability of the test and verification activities that are carried out within the VERA framework.
VERA was established in 2008 in collaboration between the Dutch, German and Danish environmental and agricultural authorities. Activities are currently ongoing to involve additional countries in the VERA framework.
The IVB – International VERA Board – consists of representatives from the national agricultural and environmental authorities of the participating countries: The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu), The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Miljøstyrelsen).
Contact ATB: Dr. Sabrina Hempel