Functions of an expert witness for veterinary public health as part of the licensing procedure for livestock buildings and the responsibility for environmental issues

In the procedure for licensing livestock buildings, official expert witness is brought in from the fields of emission technology, veterinary public health and environmental health to assess the documents submitted in accordance with construction law. Based on the assessment, a building permit is issued by the mayor on behalf of the planning authority. Apart from the obvious issues of veterinary public health (animal welfare), the airborne emissions from the livestock building and the related environmental impacts have to be taken into account. It is necessary to assess the indoor climate, considering facilities such as the ventilation system, which releases the airborne emissions of the livestock into the atmosphere. The controls carried out under cross-compliance guidelines fall within the area of overlap. Furthermore, it is necessary to evaluate the emission of bio-aerosols from livestock buildings to assess the biosafety of the livestock itself, as well as considering the impact on the neighbouring livestock buildings. The expert witness is liable for his or her expertise, taking the criteria of the state-of-the-art as a reference. The present article discusses the interface between veterinary public health and related environmental aspects.