EPMAN

EPMAN

The EPMAN-7 Agenda is below, available as a pdf to download, or with live links, below. General information on the workings of EPMAN can be found after the agenda section.

!!!!!!!The latest version of the Guidance Document, can be found here, please provide comments to co-chairs  Shabtai.Bittman@AGR.GC.CA and martindedina@vuzt.cz as soon as possible and no later than 25th February!

!!!!!!!Please also send us your comments on the Framework Code of Good Practice, by 25th February - the questionnaire can be found at this link.

EPMAN-7 Agenda, Tuesday 28^th February – Park Inn Pulkovskaya Hotel, St. Petersburg

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Time                        Activity

9:00 1. Introduction of role of the EPMAN in the process of the GP/Annex IX revision

• A brief history of EPMAN activities since Nov. 2008 (EPMAN-1)
       Shabtai Bittman
• ECCA countries representatives to provide a short inventory of attained goals, future tasks.    Martin Dedina

9:30 2. Introduction of Gothenburg Protocol (GP) principles and its aims in ECCA countries Oene Oenema and Mark Sutton

• A short explanation of significance of the Gothenburg Protocol, Annex IX of the GP and its dissemination  
• Provision of information from the 49th WGSR meeting hold in September 2011 in Geneva and Overview of current revised of the Annex IX

10:00 3. Final discussion of the Guidance Document for Preventing and Abating Ammonia Emissions from Agricultural Sources   
Shabtai Bittman, Martin Dedina, Oene Oenema, Mark Sutton

• Finalisation of the chapters
• Final check of its linkage with the Annex IX
• Final assessment of costs need for GP principles implementation 
What needs to be done before approval 

10:45  Coffee/tea

11:15 4. Draft Book on Cost and Benefits of NH3 Emission Abatement Lead? TBA

12:15  Lunch

13:15 5. Discussion with ECCA country representatives about their insights, wishes, ideas dealing with GP  Natalia Kozlova (with possible translation to English or Russian?)

14.30 6. Framework code  Martin Dedina and Shabtai Bittman

• Purpose of the code, suggestions of aims;
• Confirm lead writers
• Structure and contain of the code, scale of provided information
Discussion about multi-pollution assessment of  abatement measures

15:30   Coffee/Tea 

16:00 7. Discussion of paper by Sintermann et al. 2011. in Biogeoscience: Are ammonia emissions from field-applied slurry substantially over-estimated in European emission inventories? http://www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/8/10069/2011/bgd-8-10069-2011.pdf Lead? TBA

16:50   8. Confirming actions and key priorities (approval of the Guidance Document)

17:00   Close of meeting

Outline

EPMAN is the Expert Panel on Mitigating Agricultural Nitrogen, set up under the Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen. This panel will develop the work previously covered by the former Ammonia Expert Group, reflecting the request from the Executive Body of the Convention. The immediate tasks are:

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  To prepare a basis for updating the code of good practice (document EB.AIR/WG.5/2001/7) for reducing ammonia emissions


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  To review the Guidance document on reducing ammonia emissions (document ECE/EB.AIR/WG.5/2007/13), especially in the light of other nitrogen interactions (e.g. N₂O, nitrate interactions etc)


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  To prepare options to form a basis for discussion on revision of Annex IX of the Gothenburg Protocol (this link is for Annex IX only). These options (of varying ambition) would then be presented to the Working Group on Strategies and Review (WGSR) for their consideration and feedback. [The whole Gothenburg Protocol document can be downloaded from this link]

In the longer term, the group will further develop work on a wider intergrated approach to mitigating nitrogen losses from agriculture, in particular relating transboundary air pollution to the other threat issues. 

We are very grateful that Canada and the Czech Republic have agreed to support Shabtai Bittman and Martin Dedina as co-chairs of this Expert Panel. Of course we are also grateful in advance to Shabtai and Martin for agreeing to take on this role.

 If you are interested in getting involved inthe work of EPMAN, please contact trfn@ceh.ac.uk to register your interest.

A list of current EPMAN members and their contact details can be found on the EPMAN Members and Contact Details Page. [Members Only]