The European Commission’s plan to widen the scope of farms that would require permits to operate “could jeopardise the viability of Irish family farms”, an MEP has warned.
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher was speaking at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) Committee yesterday (Thursday, September 29), though he is not a member of the committee.
“I’m not a member of the AGRI Committee, but I felt I had to speak out on behalf of family farms whose viability would be severely jeopardized if this proposal was implemented,” Kelleher said.
Earlier this year, the commission published proposed changes to the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) that will see a greater number of farms – including, for the first time, cattle farms – require environmental permits to operate.
The commission has proposed to set a threshold of 150 livestock units (LUs), above which the permits would apply. A single LU equates to a variable number of animals, with 1 LU equating to one male bovine aged two years or more, or one dairy cow.
Kelleher said that family farms in Ireland would be at risk of failure if the current proposals are adopted.
“A dairy farm of 120 milking cows plus replacements, in general, sustains two generations of farmers, an older family and one of their children who is trying to keep the farm going into the future,” the Ireland South MEP commented.
“The requirements that could be placed on these farmers under the IED would simply make their livelihoods unsustainable and non-viable. We would be effectively forcing them to wind up their business.”
Kelleher continued: “At today’s committee hearing, I implored the commission and fellow MEPs to think about the bigger picture; about farm sustainability and of the need to enhance food security into future.”
He said he would seek support from other MEPs to amend the proposals to make the directive “fair and reasonable for all”.
The commission’s proposal was described as “onerous” by an Irish representative to the Council of the EU this week.
Barbara Cullinane, Ireland’s deputy permanent representative to the EU, was sitting in for Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Monday in the Council of the EU.
Cullinane said: “Ireland supports the objectives of the legislation to reduce ammonia emissions and methane. However, Ireland considers that the proposed 150 LU limit is not justified.”
She added: “This limit would mean that a significant number of smaller family farms in Ireland and across the EU would fall under the scope of the directive and be subject to disproportionately onerous administrative and financial obligations.”