Two key committees of the European Parliament have demonstrated significantly different approaches and views on the proposed expansion of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).
The European Commission is proposing to expand the IED to a much greater number of farms, which will see those farms require a permit to operate.
The commission proposed to apply the IED to all farms with more than 150 livestock units (LUs) and, for the first time, include cattle farms under its remit.
A livestock unit is a coefficient whereby one LU is equal to, for example, one dairy cow or one male bovine over two years, while 0.8LU would refer to a heifer or non-dairy cow over two years.
For pig and poultry sectors, a pig or bird would equate to a smaller fraction of an LU.
In March, the Council of the EU adopted a position on the proposed expansion of the IED which rolled back significantly on the commission’s plans.
The council is seeking to exclude extensive farms from the increased regulations, while it amended the proposal to apply to intensive livestock farms with higher LU numbers than 350 LUs for cattle and pigs, 280 LUs for poultry, and 350 LUs for mixed farms.
Then in April, the agriculture committee of the parliament adopted a position that further rejected the commission’s stance.
The agriculture committee’s amendments to the draft directive pushed for the exclusion of all extensive farming, small-scale family farming, and organic farming from the scope of the IED.
As well as that, the agriculture committee also sought to increase the LU threshold up to 750, as well as making amendments that would simplify the procedures and obligations for farm operators.
Last week the parliament’s environment committee adopted a position that, in terms of LU thresholds, falls between the most stringent measures from the commission, and the position adopted by the council in March.
The environment committee’ position would include pig farms and poultry farms with more than 200 LUs and cattle farms with 300 LUs or more. For farms rearing more than one type of these animals, the limit should be 250 LUs.
However, the environment committee did agree with the council’s position that extensive farming should be excluded from the scope of the directive.
Commenting on the environment committee’s position, Copa Cogeca, the umbrella group for EU farming organisations, said that the committee “voted a position that showed no consideration to the EU’s farming realities, causing a situation of utmost concern”.
“Since it entered into force in 2010, the experience with the IED has shown that its implementation is costly and administratively burdensome. Extending it to most livestock farms would have unbearable consequences for producers, their families, and our rural areas,” the farming organisation said.
“In addition, it raised questions about the overall coherence of the EU’s decision makers’ approaches when it comes to EU livestock, which is regarded as a solution provider one day, such as [under[ the REPowerEU strategy that calls for an upscale of biogas production on farms, and punished under the IED the following day.”
The parliament is will sit in a full plenary session in July, during which time it is expected to adopt its final position on the proposal, ahead of negotiations with the council on the final legislative text.
“Now that we are approaching the plenary session with a divided house, the upcoming vote is a very simple one for the EU farming community,” Copa Cogeca said, calling on the parliament not to “turn its back on European livestock farming as the commission has”.