New IPPC Proposals Would Harm EU Producers

BELGIUM - Copa-Cogeca, the association of European Farmers and European Agri-Cooperatives, has warned Members of the European Parliament about the negative impacts of the proposed IPPC environmental proposals on EU pig and poultry producers.
calendar icon 16 April 2010
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Faced with new EU Commission proposals that threaten the viability of EU pig and poultry farms, Copa-Cogeca has urged Euro-MPs to take into account its demands when they vote on the proposals at the end of the month.

Speaking in Brussels, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General, Pekka Pesonen, said: "We were concerned that agricultural and horticultural businesses were included in the first place in the scope of the EU legislation. The legislation was originally intended to control emissions from large power stations and industrial plants. Farming poses a very small risk to the environment compared to these sectors. And now EU Ministers have proposed including a clause to review the scope of the EU directive to include many more pig and poultry farms, cattle farms and horticulture businesses. This would raise costs for farmers even more, threatening their viability.

"Copa-Cogeca broadly welcomes the revised text by the lead rapporteur in Parliament Holger Krahmer, but we are worried about plans to introduce minimum limit values for IPPC installations and burdensome requirements to expand best practices manure spreading outside of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

"It is not practical or feasible to set minimum emission limit values for agriculture. Not only would this draft legislation raise costs substantially for farmers, it would also increase administrative costs for the national authorities. The costs of these proposals far outweigh the benefits. I consequently call on MEPs to take our demands into account when voting on the revised text at the end of the month."

The move comes ahead of a vote by European Parliament's Environment Committee on the revised text by Holger Krahmer later this month. A common position has been reached on this by the EU Council and it is at the second reading stage.

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