UK BAT

Best Available Techniques (BAT) aim to prevent or reduce emissions and impacts on the environment.

Techniques include: 

  • the technology used 
  • how an installation is designed, built, maintained, operated and decommissioned 

Industrial installations with specific types of activity must use BAT to prevent and reduce emissions to air, water and land. 

The UK BAT system establishes techniques through an evidence led, collaborative approach.

Background 

BAT was adopted and applied across the European Union (EU) by the European Commission as BAT Conclusions (BATC) under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) (Directive 2010/75/EU). 

Existing EU BATC continue to have effect in the UK through the EU Withdrawal Act 2018. They are available in best available technique reference documents or BREFS

The UK no longer needs to meet the requirements of any new EU BATC - except for Northern Ireland (NI) where Article 4 of the NI Protocol sets out the sectors remaining under EU IED.

UK BAT conclusions (BATC) 

The future development of UK Best Available Techniques Conclusions (BATC) is led by: 

  • UK Government 
  • Scottish Government 
  • Welsh Government 
  • Northern Ireland Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) 

The government response about the development of UK BAT to improve industrial emissions sets out the broad principles of the UK BAT regime. 

BATC are determined through an evidence-based approach with technical working groups formed of industry experts, regulators, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

BATC will be published as Statutory Instruments and used as the basis for permit conditions for industry. 

The UK BAT system will take between 1 to 3 years to create a set of BATC depending on the complexity of the industrial sector. The order of BATC to be reviewed will be announced in advance to give interested parties an opportunity to express their views.

Technical working groups 

UK BATC are established by technical working groups (TWG) for the relevant industrial sectors. 

These groups will include expert members from: 

  • industry 
  • trade associations 
  • academia 
  • non-governmental organisations (NGOs) 
  • UK regulators 

The draft UK BAT Conclusions (BATC) will be published for comment and public consultation. 

When BATC are agreed they will be published as a Statutory Instrument and used as a basis for Environmental Permit conditions.

Current status of UK BATC 

The table shows the status of UK BATC.

Name Code Status
Ceramic Manufacturing Industry CER Initiated
Ferrous Metals Processing Industry (Forming) FMPF Formal draft
Ferrous Metals Processing Industry (Galvanising) FMPG Formal draft
Large Volume Inorganic Chemicals LVIC Initiated
Slaughterhouses and Animals By-products Industries SA Initiated
Smitheries and Foundries Industry SF Initiated
Surface Treatment of Metals and Plastics STM Initiated
Textiles Industry TXT Formal draft
Common Waste Gas Management and Treatment Systems in the Chemical Sector WCG Formal draft

Contact details

ukbat@defra.gov.uk