Proposals by the European Commission which seek permits for larger cattle and dairy enterprises “need to be binned”, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Tim Cullinan has said.
A leaked document which includes such proposals is “completely over the top” and against the food-security crisis, IFA president Cullinan commented.
Under the proposal, a permit system – which already exists for large pig and poultry operations – would be extended to cover larger cattle and dairy enterprises with 100 cows or more.
Measures under the new Industrial Emission Directive (IED), Cullinan said, would pose serious consequences for the dairy, beef, poultry and pig sector. He added:
“It’s outrageous to be including livestock grazing in fields within the scope of this directive, as well as drastically cutting the limits on the pig and poultry sectors.”
The number of pig and poultry farms that are subject to permits is also sought to be increased under the reviewed directive.
The European Commission, according to Cullinan, needs to realise that it should be supporting farmers to produce food instead of putting more barriers in their way.
The IFA president added:
“We have a food-security crisis and the European Commission is focusing on making food production more difficult.”
Changes proposed in the document – which is set to be officially published next week – would not be implemented until sometime after 2027.
The proposed thresholds of livestock units (LUs) for which permits would be required in the different sectors are: 100 LUs for cattle or mixed cattle, pig and poultry operation; and 125 LUs for pigs, poultry or a mixed pig and poultry operation.
However, it is important to note that one LU does not always refer to one single animal, i.e. for smaller animals, several of them equate to one LU.
The proposal contains various other notable changes to the IED including around enforcement and monitoring.