On 13 February 2026, the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice hosted a meeting of the international UCOL working group, which focuses on harmonising operational rules for livestock farming. Experts from Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, France and Estonia attended the meeting. Representatives of the European Commission were also present, together with members of the Joint Research Centre of the European Union (EU-BRITE) based in Seville.
The main topics discussed included Best Available Techniques (BAT) for intensive livestock farming, emission monitoring, and issues related to IPPC legislation (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control). The discussion focused primarily on harmonising approaches to assessing the environmental impacts of animal production and on sharing experience among individual Member States. The meeting highlighted the importance of linking research, practice and legislation for the further development of sustainable agriculture in the European context.
The co-organisers of the meeting were the BAT Centre of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic.
The second day of the programme was dedicated to professional field visits to companies engaged in pig and poultry farming. Participants visited AGRA Březnice a.s. and Farma u Lesa a.s., where they had the opportunity to see specific technologies and practical solutions applied in modern livestock production.
We would like to thank both companies for their cooperation and for facilitating this practical part of the programme.