As a result, the authority has the possibility by law to impose subsequent regulations regarding emissions and immissions from agriculture. This creates enormous uncertainty for existing operations and planning uncertainty for future expansions. There has been decades of research in the field of exhaust air purification, but this technology is currently considered “not state of the art” for economic reasons alone. There is another significant disadvantage associated with the technology of exhaust air purification: it has no effect and does not bring any improvement for the animals and does not reduce emissions in the stables themselves.

The proposed project is intended to investigate which technology, with what costs and with what effect an improvement in the stable, including an impact on animal health and also on the working atmosphere, is possible. If effective and cost-effective, this technology could represent an alternative to exhaust air purification.

The structure of Austrian agriculture, especially pig farming, is not comparable to that in Germany, Denmark or Holland. In Austria we find companies that have grown over decades and generations and have several separate stables or compartments that cannot be combined with exhaust air purification. The information available for exhaust air purification with regard to investment and operating costs leaves no scope for Austrian structures to achieve economically sensible operational development. The existing technologies with the known economic data (approx. €20 per fattening place/year) take up the majority of the contribution margin to be achieved.